InterMat Staff

Vito Arujau (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The Olympic Trials typically feature top Senior level postgraduate athletes who have starred in college and now have made focusing on an Olympic berth as their full-time job. In the men's freestyle tournament, five of the six winners were out of college, with the most recent grad being Kyle Snyder, who finished up in 2018. Even so, there were plenty of current collegiate stars who had varying degrees of success at the Trials. Here are ten active college wrestlers who were in action and the Trials and what we can make of their future based on the tournament results. Vito Arujau (Cornell) Vito's had an impressive Trials and landed on the national team due to his runner-up finish at 57 kg. His most significant win was over past world team member Daton Fix in the semifinals of the challenge tournament. There have been two distinct camps when it comes to Vito's weight. Most close to the Cornell program have insisted that he doesn't cut much weight and would have no problem going 125 again. With the glut of 125 lb talent in Ithaca already, and down the pipeline, a move up to 133 could help the team. Defeating a two-time NCAA runner-up fix could help everyone associated with the possible move believe Vito can win a title at 133. Nick Lee (Penn State) It sounds strange to say this about a four-time All-American and 2021 NCAA champion, but Nick Lee's stock rose as much as anyone's currently in college after the weekend's results. Lee knocked off Nahshon Garrett, Yianni Diakomihalis and Zain Retherford in succession, none of which were particularly close bouts. Looking ahead to the next collegiate season, Penn State will be in need of a 149 lber as they entered true freshman Beau Bartlett into the 2021 Big Ten tournament. He was undersized and did not qualify for nationals, the only weight in which Penn State failed to qualify. With his wins, particularly over Diakomihalis, maybe the Nittany Lion staff feels better about flip-flopping Bartlett and Lee in the lineup next season. Yianni Diakomihalis (Cornell) Nothing really changes for Yianni, although he did not make the national team as most would have bet pre-tournament. He still is on pace to win four national titles if he chooses to do so; however, with a loss to Lee, a 2022 title isn't necessarily a guarantee. The way in which Lee defeated Diakomihalis would translate to folkstyle; in other words, there weren't a bunch of exposure points that would not score in the collegiate world. David Carr (Iowa State) The Iowa State sophomore, David Carr, won a national title in late March at 157 lbs and was forced to enter the 74 kg weight class due to the limited opportunities in an Olympic year. Carr won his opening bout 8-0 over Michigan's two-time All-American Logan Massa. Massa got onto the podium this year at 174 lbs. With Carr's ability to compete at a high level at approximately 163 lbs, that begs the question, “Does Carr move up for the Cyclones in 2021-22”? Seems like a logical move and one that he would be prepared for. Carr wouldn't have to cut to 157 anymore and can handle top-flight competition at the Trials. Evan Wick (Wisconsin) Evan Wick always seems to do well at freestyle and he has a boatload of solid wins throughout the Trials. He picked up a pair of victories over Tommy Gantt, pinned Chance Marsteller, and won a shootout over Logan Massa. What we can glean from this is Wick will be a major player in the NCAA title hunt next year. 165 lbs was a fun weight this year with plenty of contenders from a couple different conferences, now throw Wick back into the mix; it gets so much deeper. Aaron Brooks (Penn State) There wasn't much “new” we learned about Brooks based on his 2-2 performance at the Trials. At least in respect to his collegiate career. The two-time Big Ten champion claimed his first national title this year and went unbeaten in the process. Maybe what we can decipher from his wins over freestyle staples like Nate Jackson and Sam Brooks is that Aaron can distance himself from the rest of a crowded 184 lb weight class in 2021-22. With some more time in the Nittany Lion wrestling room and a more “normal” offseason, he could elevate himself to someone who could push Gable Steveson and Spencer Lee for the Hodge Trophy in 2022. Braxton Amos (Wisconsin) The only wrestler in the field to compete in both Greco-Roman and freestyle was Braxton Amos. Braxton even made it to the best-of-three finals in Greco, where he fell to G'Angelo Hancock. Amos just reiterated the fact that he'll wrestle anyone, anywhere. He has the grit and toughness needed to succeed at the collegiate level. Provided he is able to compete at 197 lbs, he'll elevate himself to title contender status very quickly. Gable Steveson (Minnesota) Gable's situation is very unique, which is fitting as he is a one-of-a-kind talent. My takeaway is that Gable will be able to contend for a gold medal, this year. No one in the world has been able to defeat an opponent like Nick Gwiazdowski with such ease. Even the Taha Akgul and Geno Petriashavili's of the world. How this impacts the Minnesota team in 2021-22? If Steveson could do the previously unthinkable and win an Olympic gold medal in 2021 (possibly medal at all), does he feel like he has anything left to accomplish on the wrestling mats? Steveson hasn't been shy about his desire to eventually land in the WWE and even WWE personalities such as Paul Heyman (who is close to former Gopher and Steveson training partner Brock Lesnar) have shown him love through social media. Earlier in the season, Steveson implied he would be back in college next year; however, before the Trials, he was more cryptic about his future. Steveson's dominance and post-match flips have spread quickly around social media and many people have speculated that he could fare well in MMA or even football. Needless to say, Steveson will have a lot of options post-Olympics and I'm not sure that college wrestling will win out of the other possibilities. Greg Kerkvliet (Penn State) In his first season competing for Penn State, Greg Kerkvliet finished seventh in the nation, which is excellent for a freshman at 285 lbs. Expectations for the big man from Minnesota were sky-high, so some figured he'd play a more prominent role in the title hunt. After going 2-2 at the Trials, with a win over NCAA runner-up Mason Parris, Kerkvliet showed he can challenge for a title in 2021-22, especially if Gable is out of the picture. What slowed the Nittany Lion at the Big Ten and NCAA Championships was a lack of mat time after suffering an injury; it wasn't him being outclassed by the competition. If he can stay healthy during the spring and summer, I suspect we'll see an even better version of Kerkvliet next year. Mason Parris (Michigan) We mentioned above that Mason Parris fell to Kerkvliet in the quarterfinals of the Trials, but didn't note how Parris battled back to finish third and lock up a spot on the national team. Along the way, Parris racked up wins over longtime veterans Dom Bradley and Tony Nelson, along with Tanner Hall. Both Bradley and Nelson are the kind of big heavyweights that have given Parris problems in the past. While Michigan's Cliff Keen Wrestling Club is an excellent place to train, Parris will also have more opportunities available to him with his presence on the national team. Parris is still relatively young, in the sense that he'd only been a full-time wrestler for a few years, so expect him to continue to fine-tune his skills and possibility separate himself from the rest of the 285 lb class if Steveson doesn't return.

Gable Steveson in Match One of the Olympic Trials Finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This past weekend, the U.S. selected their wrestling representatives for the upcoming Olympics. There are a few weights that still have some work to do in order to qualify, but for all intents and purposes, the team has been decided. There were several standout performances across the three styles, but perhaps with a deeper dive into the match statistics, it will be even clearer how outstanding some of these performances actually were. The following looks at some of the top statistical performances in terms of match points. The result, points and time for all matches were pulled directly from the official brackets. Forfeits and bye were excluded from the data set. Official times were not recorded for VSU and VSU1 results (technical falls), so the time is calculated using the timestamp of the final score. Point differential is defined as the number of points score per minute minus the points allowed per minute. Men's Freestyle Heavyweight Gable Steveson was clearly one of the biggest stories coming out of the tournament. Just weeks after winning both an NCAA title and the Hodge Trophy, Steveson ran through the field. He allowed zero points until the second match of the finals against Nick Gwiazdowski. On a per-minute basis, he allowed only 0.26 points per minute while scoring 2.72 for a point differential of 2.46. Both his point differential and points per minute rates were far and above anyone else in the men's freestyle tournament. The next four wrestlers with the highest point differentials will join Steveson on the Olympic team: Kyle Dake (+1.77), Thomas Gilman (+1.38), Kyle Snyder (+1.30) and David Taylor (+1.15). Jordan Oliver, who won the Trials but still needs to qualify the weight, finished with a +0.46 differential, which ranked 15th in the men's freestyle tournament. While Taylor only had the fifth-highest point differential, he was the only wrestler to go through the men's freestyle tournament without allowing a single point. Bo Nickal, who Taylor defeated and shutout in the two-match finals series, had scored 25 points in his first two matches before running into the former Hodge Trophy winner. Among wrestlers who did not win the tournament, Nick Lee had the highest point differential at +1.10. After dropping an 8-3 match against Oliver on the front side, Lee went on quite the run in the consolation bracket. He defeated Nahshon Garrett, Zain Retherford and Yianni Diakomihalis by a combined 38-14 score. Women's Freestyle Adeline Gray will be returning to the Olympics following a dominating performance at the Trials. She sat in the finals and waited for the challenge tournament to unfold. Once it became clear she would be taking on high school competitor Kylie Welker, Gray became a big favorite. She swept the two-match series in the finals with match-termination victories in both matches via 10-0 and 11-0 scores. In the process, she finished with a +5.43 point differential, which was the highest not only in women's freestyle but also across all three styles at the Trials. Sarah Hildebrant also had a bye to the finals series. She surrendered the first takedown against Victoria Anthony before storming back with 22-straight points across two matches. Hildebrandt finished with the second-highest point differential at +1.76. Jacarra Winchester had the third-highest differential at +1.33. Tamyra Mensah-Stock was fourth with +1.25. Both Kayla Miracle and Helen Maroulis needed three matches in the finals to best their opponents and finished with +0.88 and +0.40 point differentials, respectively. Even though she came up short in the finals against Helen Maroulis, Jenna Burkert's strong run through the challenge tournament helped her finish with the fifth-highest point differential in women's freestyle, +1.22. In the challenge bracket, Burkert outscored her three opponents by a combined 25-0 score and picked up a fall over Alli Ragan in the finals. Greco Roman Braxton Amos went from The Last Chance qualifier to the finals of the Olympic Trials in Greco. While it was an impressive run, waiting for him in the finals was the proverbial brick wall, Tracy Hancock. During the best-of-three series, Hancock won both matches via 8-0 score, and he became one of only two wrestlers in Greco to make it through the tournament without surrendering a single point. His +2.75 point differential was also the highest in the style. One of the best performances of the Trials that did not result in joining the Olympic Team came from Benji Peak. Despite losing in the challenge tournament finals, Peak finished with the second-highest point differential at +2.37. He won his first three matches via a combined 26-0 score and knocked off Xavier Johnson with a 9-1 finish in the true second match. The other wrestler to make the team without surrendering a point was Ildar Hafizov. The 2008 Olympian sat in the finals and waited for Ryan Mango. There he won both matches by 7-0 and 8-0 score respectively. His +2.01 was the third highest in the style. Match Termination Women's freestyle had some of the biggest brackets at the Trials. From that standpoint, it makes sense that the style would have the highest percentage of bouts that ended in match termination. 55.95 of all matches in women's freestyle ended before the full six minutes. The rate was significantly lower in Greco Roman (44.65) and men's freestyle (34.8%). As you might expect with his high point differential, Peak had the most match terminations across all three styles as he ended four of his matches early. In men's freestyle, Gilman and Steveson both ended the tournament with three finishes. In women's freestyle, a staggering seven wrestlers had three finishes. The list includes Burkert, Yelena Makoyed, Victoria Anthony, Ronna Heaton, Erin Golston, Emily Shilson and Alyssa Lampe.

Michael Kemerer (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This evening, Iowa's NCAA runner-up Michael Kemerer announced, in a well-crafted Twitter video, that he would be suiting up for the Hawkeyes in the 2021-22 season. With Kemerer on board, Tom Brands' squad 2021 NCAA Championship squad will return in tact and ready to defend their team title. Kemerer has placed at the NCAA Championships on three occasions and was named an All-American following the 2020 season, as well. Despite having a highly decorated career, Kemerer was able to bring home his first Big Ten championship in 2021 and did not lose until the NCAA finals. After five years of competition, Kemerer has amassed an 86-8 record for the Hawkeyes and has never finished lower than fourth at the NCAA Championships.

Nick Lee (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The Olympic Trials are one of the most pressure-packed, reward-or-bust events on American soil. Everyone here is good. And lifelong dreams are on the line. With the qualifications just to get in the tournament being so stringent, every last one of the competitors deserves our praise. But the following is a list of the performances that awed us the most. A little bit of surprise, a pinch of 'wow,' and a good bit of wrestling over expectations, here are our top exploits from this year's Olympic Trials. Victoria Anthony - 50kg WFS Vicki twice represented the US at the World Championships and wrestled for bronze both times. She was also 2nd at the 2016 Olympic Trials. So it's really not a shock she made the finals. But I'd argue that she wrestled at a higher level than I've ever seen her. She was a vortex, teching in three of her four bouts without yielding a point and beating #2-seed Alyssa Lampe in the other. She lost to 2018 World Silver Medalist Sarah Hildebrandt in the finals, but man, 'Vicki Vortex,' 'Vicki the Vet,' 'Vicki Mouse,' whatever you want to call her, she looked as good as ever. Macey Kilty - 62kg WFS Ok, so Kilty has medaled five different times at Worlds in three different age levels. Four of those five she made a final. But they weren't Seniors. So while we all knew she was talented, most of us probably thought she was still a little too young. Only no one told Macey that. She damn near did the damn thing. Her biggest win was over Maya Nelson, the #1 seed and Junior World Champion, in the challenge tournament's finals, 5-0. But then she had veteran Kayla Miracle, who has a similar resume to Kilty, but is a tad more experienced and certainly the odds-on favorite. Kilty took match #2 to the surprise of the crowd to set up a showdown for all the marbles. But it was a brief match #3 where Kayla scored early and Macey was clearly injured. In a tear-jerking moment, Macey tried to continue to wrestle, almost as if she refused to believe that her limbs could be in tatters. Thankfully she would acknowledge the situation for what it was and default before any more damage could be done. Part' youthful optimism for the future' and part' best version we've ever seen of her,' Macey's performance was awesome. Kylie Welker - 76kg WFS Three amazing things make Welker's story at Trials crazy. First, she's just a Junior. In high school! She, like Peak, was the last qualifier to get into the trials. She lost to Kennedy Blades at Last Chance at 68kg but then moved up to 76. You pickin' up what I'm layin' down here? A Junior in high school that was the last seed in the tournament moved up a weight and made Olympic Trials finals! Unreal. Jesse Porter - 77kg Greco Under normal circumstances, Porter probably wouldn't make this list. He's been a proven commodity having spent years high on the ladder. However, he, too, had to go through the Last Chance tournament just to get into the field. His total resume gave him the #10 though and he went on and beat two guys (RaVaughn Perkins and Pat Smith) that made previous World Teams, to make the finals. He then beat Peyton Walsh in two straight bouts to become the Trials Champion. He still has to qualify the weight for Tokyo, but what a run. Ronna Heaton - 53kg WFS Ronna became a fan favorite in 2015 with her ever-present smile and unconventional style that led her to the Cadet World gold medal. In 2016, she finished with a silver at Cadet Worlds, but her results have been up-and-down since. She entered the Trials as the #5 seed. First, she blanked the 4-seed (Alex Hedrick) 4-0 before pinning both the #1 seed (Dominique Parrish) and #3 seed (Katherine Shai) to make the finals. There she fell to World Champion Jacarra Winchester. But it was a fantastic performance and a reminder that Ronna is still a contender at any event. Jenna Burkert - 57kg WFS By now, most of the wrestling world knows that Jenna lost her mother a few weeks back. Making the Olympic Trials finals in conjunction with that would be 'impressive' and inspiring on the surface alone. But Jenna didn't just sneak her way into the finals; she was on fire and pushed the only American woman to ever win Olympic Gold to the brink. Burkert posted consecutive 11-0 techs before unleashing a headlock from hell on Alli Ragan, the six-time World Team Member, to get the fall in the first period. In the best-of-three finals, Burkert scored a takedown on Helen Maroulis with :30 left in the second match to force a third and decisive bout. And though Maroulis would get the fall to end Jenna's run, Burkert's run was sensational. Braxton Amos - 97kg Greco There was a lot to consider with Braxton. His story checked a lot of boxes. Youth? Late qualifier? Remarkable performance? Yep. All of those. And not to mention he was the only human being in both the Greco and Freestyle brackets. Braxton hasn't yet wrestled a single college match and yet wrestled his way into both tournaments and, in Greco, into the finals. He beat the #1, #2, and #3 seeds by fall, 8-6, and 8-2, respectively. He fell to G'Angelo Hancock in the best-of-three finals, who might be just the best pound-for-pound Greco talent in America. Benji Peak - 67kg Greco This is one of just two picks on this list to not make the best-of-three finals. But it was sensational. Let's start with the fact that Peak was the last qualifier to get into the trials. He lost in the Last Chance finals to Lenny Merkin, who, you guessed it, would be his first-round opponent a week later. Benji teched him, starting a wave of dominance. In his next two bouts, he blanked the 3-seed (Jamel Johnson) and 2-seed (Ray Bunker). He reached the finals with a cumulative score of 26-0. In the challenge tournament finals, he fell to Ellis Coleman, 7-3, but rebounded to take true 2nd and make the National Team. Kennedy Blades - 68kg WFS Where do you start? Perhaps with the fact she's just 17? Maybe that she won Last Chance? Maybe you throw in that the person she beat - nay - teched, at Last Chance (Kylie Welker) also made the finals (at 76kg). Kennedy Blades destroyed the bracket 26-1, going through Final X competitor Alex Glaude and teching World Team Member Forrest Molinari. Blades would fall in the finals to World Champ Tamyra Mensah-Stock but not without a fight. The contention that she is the best high school prospect ever bears resemblance to… Gable Steveson - 125kg MFS Saying Gable Steveson is the US Olympian for Tokyo probably surprises you very little. I picked Gable to win the Trials and probably a decent size percentage of the American fan base did as well. Frankly, it was a two-horse race with him and Nick Gwiazdowski. But this isn't entirely a 'surprises' article. It's also an 'impressive' article. And there wasn't much in Fort Worth more impressive than Gable, who not only won the Trials at the age of 20, but dispatched Gwiz, a man who has been our guy for three years and medaled twice at the World Championships. And he did it with relative ease, taking match #1, 10-0, before seemingly being on auto-pilot in match #2 for a 10-4 win. Frankly, in a tournament that is crowning America's best, Gable did more than that; he put the world on notice. Nick Lee - 65kg MFS Now Willie, how can you say Nick Lee's performance was more impressive than Gable's? Well, I'm not saying Nick Lee is better than Gable. But his blitz of the field (aside from his one loss to champ Jordan Oliver) was wholly more surprising and revelatory. Just two weeks after winning NCAA's in an upset over a top-seeded undefeated Jaydin Eierman, Lee lost to Oliver in the quarters before ripping through the backside in a run that had all of the wrestling world gasping. Lee teched Nahshon Garrett, who made a World Team at 61kg, before beating the two pre-tournament Olympian favorites at the weight - Zain Retherford and Yianni Diakomihalis. And he didn't just win; he ripped through those three by a cumulative score of 38-14. Lee was wide open - constantly on the attack and apparently unafraid of the dangers taking a shot on Yianni typically presents. Can he replicate it going forward? Who knows. But two things are for sure - there's another player at 65kg for the foreseeable future and he's a treat to watch.

Alex Sancho takes on Ellis Coleman in the Olympic Trials finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) The 2021 US Olympic Team Trials was a very exciting event, bringing all three wrestling styles together in Texas to determine who will compete for the US in Tokyo. Many of us were excited to see the highly anticipated battle between Kyle Dake and Jordan Burroughs, and J'Den Cox clash Kyle Snyder in a meeting of 2016 Olympic medalists. 2021 also brought the return of Helen Maroulis to top form. However, how many fans looked forward to the Alejandro Sancho/Ellis Coleman final or G'Angelo Hancock taking on young upstart Braxton Amos in Greco? Before the US Olympic Trials, how many casual wrestling fans even knew who these Greco guys were? For me, a high school wrestling coach for the past twenty-three years and a diehard Greco-Roman coach, the Olympic Trials were truly exciting; a change of the guard at some weights and the culmination of a few careers. I rejoiced with 87 kg winner John Stefanowicz, the guy who never made it to the Regional tournament in high school, and shed a tear watching Joe Rau and Jon Anderson leave their shoes on the mat, symbolizing their retirement from the sport. While some fans were intrigued by Stefanowicz's story or hung on Hancock's every point, most clamored for the freestyle guys to take the mat. John Stefanowicz (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) This has been the story of Greco-Roman wrestling in the US: the often forgotten, middle child between Men's freestyle and Women's freestyle. As the middle child, we know Greco-Roman wrestling is there, but it is often overlooked. Wrestling people know Greco exists, but not many are interested in learning about it because it is different from what is traditional in the US. Greco Roman does not get the same media attention as the two freestyle forms in the US. If it was not for Timmy Hands and his Five Point Move website, the only information most of about Greco would come from press releases from USA Wrestling. But if you watched the way younger wrestlers in the stands at the Olympic Trials hung on every takedown, every gutwrench, Greco-Roman wrestling may grow. My major take on the recent Olympic Trials is to tell you that Greco matters. I have been part of an exciting program called US GRIT: Greco Roman Innovation Team for the last twelve months. Inspired and created by Gary Mayabb, the Manager of Greco-Roman Programs for USA Wrestling, US-GRIT hopes to increase opportunities in Greco-Roman wrestling for athletes and coaches, as well as show the relevance of the style to the overall sport of wrestling. With the best and brightest Greco-Roman minds in the US involved, the US-GRIT program is taking off in just about every state. In my home state of Virginia, we are working with club coaches to help implement Greco-Roman technique into practices, offer clinics across the state, and have recently opened three regional training locations that have dedicated Greco-Roman practices for whomever can attend. We are also partnering with our Virginia Women's National Team by integrating Greco techniques into their repertoire. My comrades in US-GRIT are doing much of the same in their states. In other words, we want to show the wrestling community that Greco does, in fact, matter. The big throws look awesome and are even more thrilling when you are the one doing the big throws, but there is so much more to Greco-Roman wrestling than "just" throws. Adding Greco skills to folkstyle or freestyle wrestling will add an incredible amount of depth to wrestling. As a coach, two of the biggest fundamental weaknesses I see in many of the wrestlers I work with are poor hand-fighting skills and staying in good position/stance. Hand-fighting skills are essential to create openings for offense and to quickly transition to defense. A wrestler who remains in good position is difficult to attack because they do not break their stance or get lazy with their movement. This was definitely illustrated in many of the Greco-Roman matches at the Olympic Trials. What many people thought looked like pushing and shoving without scoring, was actually patient hand-fighting that created openings for takedown attempts. It is physical and brutal; Greco is like a street fight without throwing punches. High-level Greco wrestlers who still compete in folkstyle often control the center of the mat and can shut down their opponent's offense with their hand-fight and positioning. Ildar Hafizov faces Ryan Mango (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Greco-Roman par terre wrestling teaches the wrestler how to get a quality lock and use the correct biomechanics to score a gutwrench or lift and throw. Returning to the coaching illustration, having a Greco-Roman-focused coach teach athletes how to set up and execute a correct gutwrench will help the wrestler use their hips and legs on the turn, instead of arms and chest. And in the defensive position, wrestling Greco teaches the wrestler to not depend on their legs to defend against a gut and focus on creating the correct pressure away from the gutwrench and to keep moving in the defensive position. But why does Greco matter? It's not relevant to wrestling in the US. It's boring. They don't score points. The same can be said for freestyle, but it's not, simply because freestyle resembles folkstyle wrestling, and in our country, folkstyle is everything. If you look to other countries like Russia or any of the other former Soviet republics or to Iran, Greco is the style of wrestling. Unfortunately, if it doesn't resemble the type of wrestling we grew up with, so it can't be relevant. This is a big mission of US-GRIT: to increase the relevancy of Greco-Roman wrestling. And the Olympic Trials did just that for the wrestling community. The country finally got to see the best of the best, slugging it out for one of those six spots on the Olympic team. I appreciated how NBCSN rotated a Greco match between freestyle matches throughout its broadcast. The average wrestling fan needed to see that Greco can be just as entertaining and high scoring as freestyle. It's going to take a bit of an open mind to learn to appreciate the battle for position in neutral in the same way we appreciate how two high-level freestylers stalking and feinting for the first minute of a match. Olympic Trials runner-up Peyton Walsh (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Despite not having the plethora of resources and training opportunities as freestyle, Greco is growing in the US. Perhaps the success of guys like Adam Coon, Ryan Mango and Braxton Amos will convince RTC coaches that they should add Greco to their programs? Coaches like Nate Engel in Oregon, Zac Dominguez in Nebraska, and Brandon Paulson in Minnesota are cementing the foundation of Greco. Athletes like Peyton Walsh, a finalist at 77 kg, are growing the sport. I coached against Walsh when he was in high school at Deep Run High School in suburban Richmond, VA. Had you asked the high school version of Peyton Walsh about wrestling Greco, he would have rolled his eyes at you. But after graduating from the Naval Academy and joining the Marines, he had to learn Greco because Greco is all they do in the Marines. Wrestling is wrestling, regardless of style. The more wrestling we learn, the better we will be as athletes, coaches, and fans. Rather than avoid a style simply because we have never bothered to try to understand, doesn't it make sense to give it a shot? Look how much fun the Greco guys had out there in the Olympic Trials. Look at the little kids who watched the Greco guys with wide eyes, asking for Jesse Porter's autograph after winning the 77 kg spot on the Olympic team. I hope over the next few months, we see an increase of kids wanting to learn Greco based on what they saw at the Olympic Trials. If we begin learning Greco earlier, we will improve on the international level. The one thing I tell kids at the beginning of their first Greco practice is to take a deep breath, relax, and keep an open mind. They may find that what I teach can help them in folkstyle and begin a relationship with an enjoyable style of wrestling. I do the same with coaches looking to expand their knowledge who want to learn how to teach the specifics of Greco Roman. I challenge you to seek out the US-GRIT representative for your state or a club or coach who is interested in Greco Roman and ask them how Greco can benefit wrestling. The more you learn about this fantastic style of wrestling will help reduce your anxiety or fear of Greco. The Olympic Trials inspired me to further break down the skills of Greco Roman for the athletes I work with, to integrate them into our practices to make them better wrestlers. Feel free to email me your comments, questions, or concerns, I'd love to chat about Greco with you.

Brady Berge in the NCAA Round of 16 (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Today, Penn State's Brady Berge announced via social media that he was stepping away from competition due to concussions and other health concerns. Berge advanced to the 2021 NCAA quarterfinals after a close win over fifth-seeded Kaleb Young (Iowa) in the Round of 16. Unfortunately, Berge was not able to finish his match in the quarters against Jesse Dellavecchia (Rider) due to an apparent knee injury. That injury prevented him from competing for a spot on the podium in the NCAA Round of 12, as he had to medically forfeit. The 157 lber finished the 2021 season at 10-3 and came into nationals with the #12 seed after taking sixth in the Big Ten. Brady only saw action in two matches during the 2019-20 season due to symptoms associated with his concussion. As a redshirt freshman, Berge was also sixth in the Big Ten and the 12th seed at nationals. That season he finished at 20-5 after going 2-2 at the NCAA Championships in Pittsburgh. Berge also had plenty of success on the freestyle circuit, winning a bronze medal at Junior Worlds in 2018. He also made a Cadet and U23 World Team. Prior to enrolling at Penn State, Berge captured three Minnesota state championships.

Jenna Burkert with young fans after the challenge tournament finals (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) I walked down as close to the floor as possible Saturday night to get one last picture of Dickies Arena before the finals began. Before leaving, I took a few brief moments to soak it in and appreciate the human moments that this event brought us over two days. So many of our top athletes had their dreams shattered this weekend, some for the first time and some for the last. But through the tears and agony that showed on their faces, a light shined through. This light provided many moments where we could see who these athletes really are. Sometimes we as fans get caught up in the competition and the tribal-like mentality of rooting for teams or clubs and we miss these moments because they don't align with our fandom. One of the many examples of this is wrestlers who just took tough, heartbreaking losses who were happy to give out pictures and autographs to any young fan that was brave enough to walk to the edge of the aisle and ask. Others took countless pictures, shook hands, and signed shirts and programs while in the stands with their families. Those lucky enough to score pictures and other prizes were smiling big enough to light up the 14,000-seat arena on their own. One family sat right in front of me during the consolations and encouraged their young son and daughter to go down and get as many autographs as possible. During the many trips up and down the stairs to get signatures, the young man forgot his shirt and marker. Not to miss an opportunity, the young man asked for Jason Nolf's singlet. Jason didn't even bat an eye and quickly came back with the uniform for the youngster. Once the singlet was in hand, he sprinted up the stairs to high fives from his family and smiles all around. We saw strong embraces between fierce rivals after dreams were realized. We were witness to thunderous standing ovations for retiring athletes who had given it their all for the final time. And we were lucky enough to see the appreciation of generational talents being pushed by the next wave of American greats. After this weekend, we will talk about wins and losses. We will talk about the big moves, incredible runs by underdogs, and countless other unforgettable moments. We will also talk about controversy and rules until we are blue in the face. After all that, I just hope we don't forget these human moments that make our sport so special and unique.

(Photo/American University athletics) On January 21st, American University made a sudden announcement that Teague Moore was no longer the school's head coach after spending the last nine-plus years at the helm for the Washington, DC school. Ex-Eagle wrestler Jason Grimes assumed interim head coaching duties for the duration of the 2021 season. Since the school parted ways with Moore during the season (at least for most schools. American did not wrestle until day one of the EIWA Championships), they have a leg up on any jobs that may open up later this spring or perhaps into the summer. Intermat has learned that the school is deep into the process and some early candidates have been eliminated from consideration. With that being the case, we have targeted five credible candidates that could be choices by the AU administration. Remember, all coaching searches are different. The assistant coaches with the biggest names may not be a perfect match for the vacancy based on a variety of factors on both ends. This is not a list of the biggest names available; instead, it's some of the best fits based on what we know about the position. So, what do we know about American? It is a private institution with less than 9000 undergraduate students, located in beautiful, affluent northeast Washington, DC. The wrestling program came into prominence in the mid-2000's under the leadership of Mark Cody. The school crowned their first national champion (Josh Glenn) in 2007 and later finished fifth at the 2011 NCAA Championships. After Cody left for Oklahoma, he was replaced by Moore. Most may not know it, but American does feature the full 9.9 allotment of scholarships, which is helpful as they do have a rather large tuition. American competes in the EIWA, which continues to get tougher by the year with the emergence of Ivy League powers and Cary Kolat's arrival at the Naval Academy, just over the bridge in Maryland. While some outside observers were concerned about the state of the American program (and who shouldn't be in this climate), they are, in fact, very stable. In addition to the scholarship total, there are several local donors that are very influential in the decision-making process in the athletic department. We'll get to that later. Additionally, the athletic director, Dr. Billy Walker, was a collegiate wrestler at the Air Force Academy under coach Wayne Baughman. He also led the formation of the old Western Wrestling Conference in 2005 and was the conference commissioner until 2013. Having someone in the athletic director's role with wrestling ties is invaluable. Now that you know a little bit about the school, here are five candidates we thought may be good fits for American University. Jason Borrelli (center) in the 2021 NCAA finals (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Jason Borrelli (Stanford - Head Coach) Why he's a fit: Who doesn't want a storybook ending? Stanford's 165 lber Shane Griffith defied the odds and captured a national title, only the second in school history, despite an athletic department that vowed to eliminate wrestling and ten other sports at the end of the season. The wrestling community has pledged over 12 million dollars to keep Stanford wrestling alive, while adding a women's program, as well. With Griffith and fellow sophomore Real Woods available for multiple years down the road and a solid cast already in Palo Alto, the Cardinal could make a run at the top ten. Unfortunately, the Stanford administration has not been receptive to the money raised by the team and other sports and barely acknowledged Griffith's performance. So the harsh reality is that with most of the team in the transfer portal and an athletic department hellbent on eliminating the wrestling program, Jason Borrelli has to keep his options open. Borrelli is coming off an excellent 2021 season which netted him Pac-12 Coach of the Year honors and had a second All-American, in addition to Griffith. He has led the Cardinal to their only Pac-12 title in wrestling history and saw 15 wrestlers garner All-American honors under his watch. Getting a coach with a track record of success inside and outside of the classroom will undoubtedly be a priority for American. The school has finished in the top ten in team GPA in 14 of the last 15 years (2021 not included) and was second overall in 2020. Borrelli checked those boxes as he saw six wrestlers named Pac-12 Scholar-Athlete of the Year while at Stanford. He also deserves praise for persevering and leading his group during the uncertain 2021 season. California was one of the most stringent states in the country, with regards to COVID-regulations, so his squad had to practice outdoors frequently and in unenviable training conditions. That's on top of the fact that his school was ready to shutter his program. Kyle Borshoff (right) in the 2021 EIWA Championships (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) Kyle Borshoff (Binghamton - Head Coach) Why he's a fit: Kyle Borshoff is a familiar name for American University on a couple different fronts. He was a three-time national qualifier and two-time All-American for the Eagles between 2007-10. Borshoff is one of only nine wrestlers to notch over 100 wins in an American singlet and as a senior, he was a key cog in a group that finished 14th in the nation at the NCAA Championships in Omaha. Borshoff would return as an assistant coach for five seasons, four of which were as the program's head assistant. He was a part of the coaching staff that oversaw the Eagle's incredible run of high GPAs. Since 2015, Borshoff has been a member of the Binghamton staff. First as an assistant coach, before getting elevated to head coach in December of 2017. Since that point, four Bearcat wrestlers have qualified for the NCAA Championships on two occasions. Before his arrival, the team only sent two wrestlers per year for the previous four seasons. This year, Borshoff oversaw the program's first NCAA placewinner (Louie DePrez) since the 2012 campaign, when both Donnie Vinson and Nick Gwiazdowski got on the podium. DePrez was also named an NWCA All-American in 2020. Without much fanfare, Borshoff and staff have done a good job at bringing in talent to Binghamton. The team will have all four of their 2021 national qualifiers returning next season (all are non-seniors). Whenever there is a vacancy, you have to consider notable alumni as potential candidates. Borshoff and current athletic director Dr. Walker did overlap at AU for about a year and a half, so there is some familiarity on both ends. Again, it helps when both parties understand what situation they're walking into. During AU's heyday, they did it with a lot of talent from New York. The Borshoff's, NCAA champ Josh Glenn, Matt Mariacher, and others. Getting someone who can get talent from that area could be a good start. Obe Blanc with the UNC Staff (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Obe Blanc (North Dakota State - Head Assistant Coach) Why he's a fit: One trait I think is valuable in potential coaching candidates is experience with different "types" of programs. Obe Blanc is certainly someone who can make that claim. Blanc started his collegiate career at Lock Haven, where he earned All-American honors at a program that is DII for all other sports and tends to "do more with less." He finished out at a blue-blood school in Oklahoma State wrestling for the legendary John Smith. After a few years competing on the Senior level and making the world team in 2010, Blanc began coaching at NC State and was heavily involved with the Wolfpack Wrestling Club. So at this stop, he was an essential part of a program that developed into a consistent national power. In the summer of 2019, Blanc headed out west to North Dakota State to assume the role of head assistant coach. North Dakota State could be classified as a mix of a few previous stops. They are an up-and-coming team, though in a non-Power Five conference (for all other sports). During his first year in Fargo, Blanc helped six wrestlers qualify for nationals, one of which was named a second-team All-American and two others were tabbed as honorable mention's. Four Bison wrestlers qualified for St. Louis this year and two (Jared Franek and Luke Weber) advanced to the Round of 12. Additionally, in each of the last two seasons, the Bison have crowned a Big 12 champion, a feat that had previously never been done at NDSU. One of Blanc's previous mentors, Pat Popolizio, got his big break as an assistant at American University. While it's been about 15 years since Popolizio was coaching in DC, he can help prepare Blanc for what to expect at the school. Blanc's international experience as an athlete and while coaching at the WWC probably outweighs anyone on this list, if that's on the mind of the decision-makers at AU. Sean Gray (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Sean Gray (Princeton - Associate Head Coach) Why he's a fit: Sean Gray has the most coaching experience of anyone on this list. After leaving Virginia Tech as a two-time All-American and the school's leader in most statistical categories in 2002, Gray spent seven years as an assistant for the legendary Carl Adams at Boston University. After leaving BU, Gray went back to his native New Jersey to join the Princeton staff. Under the tutelage of Chris Ayres, Gray and crew helped bring the Tigers from the basement of the EIWA to a 2019-20 season that saw the team go unbeaten in-conference and defeat Cornell for the first time since 1986. While the school went 13 years (2003-16) between All-Americans at the beginning of Ayres/Gray's tenure, they have had at least one per year since 2016 and multiple in 2019 and 2020. If anyone knows about building from the ground up, it's the Princeton staff, and believe me, there is a lot of growth that will need to occur at American. One way Gray can help AU is with his connections in recruiting. Gray is a Blair Academy grad and has plenty of connections in New Jersey. Blair is also the alma mater of 2007 Harvard All-American Max Meltzer. Max's father, Alan, is a prominent donor who is on the AU Board of Trustees. In late 2019, he committed 5 million dollars towards the school's Center for Athletic Performance. I don't know if there's any previous relationship between Gray and the Meltzers, but with these coaching vacancies, sometimes you have to try and connect the dots. Also of importance, Gray's wife is from the Northern Virginia area, not far from the AU campus. That can always be an enticing factor when considering new positions. Jordan Leen (right) with two-time ACC champion Micky Phillipi (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Jordan Leen (Pittsburgh - Associate Head Coach) Why he's a fit: As we eluded to with Jason Borrelli, Jordan Leen has the ability to strike while the iron is hot. Leen is part of a Pittsburgh staff that just put a pair of wrestlers into the NCAA finals in St. Louis and finished 11th in the nation, the school's best finish since 1970. If you look at 165 lb NCAA runner-up Jake Wentzel, he has to have Leen's fingerprints all over him. Like Wentzel, Leen was a brutal technician on the mat. As a competitor, Leen sticks out head and shoulders above anyone on this list collegiately. A three-time All-American for Cornell, Leen won the NCAA title in 2008 by taking out the top-two seeds in the tournament, Gregor Gillespie (Edinboro) and Mike Poeta (Illinois). We've mentioned earlier that American will undoubtedly stress academics with their hire and the Cornell grad fits the bill. Not only did he compete in the Ivy League, but Leen has also had previous coaching stops at Duke and Virginia. Those are both academic institutes that American would love to be mentioned among. During his tenure at Virginia, Leen developed a reputation as a strong recruiter and was partially responsible for the team's success recruiting in Pennsylvania. That reach in Western PA has definitely increased during his tenure at Pittsburgh. It doesn't matter where your school is located; having in's with the Pennsylvania wrestling community is also a plus. While he grew up in Tennessee, Leen's entire collegiate and professional career has kept him in the East/Mid-Atlantic, so he should have some general familiarity with the area.

Kennedy Blades (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) We all knew she was good, but 17-year-old Kennedy Blades made a statement as to just how good she is over the course of the last two weeks. The postponement of the Summer Olympics impacted the athletes of our community in a multitude of ways, but for Blades, it opened up an opportunity for her to begin her Senior-level career with a bang. Blades was three months too young to wrestle at the Olympic Team Trials in 2020; however, the Trials were postponed due to COVID-19. Once Blades learned that the Trials had been pushed back an entire year and that she would be eligible to compete, she knew she would have to win the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifying Event, to pursue her goal of being the youngest Olympic wrestler ever for the United States. Blades raised eyebrows at the Last Chance Qualifier with dominant wins over veteran Hannah Gladden, Skylar Grote, and another young star, Kylie Welker. This set the stage for her Olympic Team Trials run. Leading up to the event, questions circulated among wrestling Twitter who tried to determine if Blades had made a significant jump and could be a contender at 68kgs. She quickly answered this question for all of us with a 10-0 victory over Rachel Watters, a 5-0 shutout over U23 World bronze medalist Alexandria Glaude, and a dominant 11-1 win over past Senior world team member, Forrest Molinari. After winning the Challenge Tournament bracket, Blades only fell in the best-of-three series to World Champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock. Prior to the Last Chance Olympic Trials Qualifier, Blades had an impressive list of domestic and international accolades, including three Fargo titles, two Pan American championships, two Klippan Open Championships, and a spot on the 2019 Cadet World team. Although these are achievements few accomplish, the jump from Cadet World team member to Senior Olympic Team Trials finals in two years is nearly incomprehensible. Here's what the young superstar, Kennedy Blades, had to say about her Senior level debut, training, and mindset leading up to the two crucial events: Blades began the interview by saying that this process showed her that, "God's timing is perfect". In addition to the Trials postponement, even making the competition available to her, Kennedy Blades also tested positive for COVID-19 in February. Once she got over her sickness, she felt relieved that she did not have to worry about testing positive leading up to the Last Chance Qualifier or Olympic Trials. Blades said, "Just having that extra pressure off of me, that I could lose the chance to compete at the last minute, helped me to be able to focus on other things". The last two months, the Illinois native completed her training at home with her long-time coach Israel (Izzy) Martinez. She said, "It was a really tough decision whether to stay at Wyoming Seminary to prepare for the tournament or to go home, but in the end, I decided because of the Covid restrictions at my high school, I would be able to have more freedom with my training at home". She went on to explain that Izzy put her through two workouts a day. One would focus on technique, while the other was mostly conditioning. Blades elaborated by saying, "Izzy wanted to push me past my limits. No Senior level athlete wants to lose to a high schooler, so he knew they wouldn't be holding back against me. He only put me with boys who would also go all out, because they didn't want to lose to me, so that I would be prepared for the pressure the Senior level women put on and I was". I asked Blades the question we have all been wondering, "What took you to the next level?" Now, if you know Kennedy, you know that the two things she does not lack are modesty and height. With a big grin, she explained that after making the move from Illinois to Wyoming Seminary, she had to learn how to manage her time and hold herself accountable. "I had to remove all of my distractions, stay on top of my diet, and manage my time on my own. It really helped me mature a lot and I think that maturity is what prepared me to compete against the older competition." She went on to explain in further detail, "I have made some changes, but I've known I was as good as the best Senior level girls since the beginning of my sophomore year of high school, I just wasn't old enough to be allowed to compete against them yet." We jumped forward to discussing the Olympic Team Trials. Blades explained that she had to be mentally tough in every situation and remind herself that she belonged there, "Everytime I stepped on the mat I told myself 'I'm a Champ. I'm supposed to be here.'" She said that it's important to remember, "When it comes to competition, age is just a number and it doesn't matter once you step on the mat. There were people who were shocked I scored on Tamyra, but I knew not to be timid because I was there for a reason." Blades and 2019 World Champion Tamyra Mensah-Stock embrace after their Trials series (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) I proceeded to ask, "How did it feel when your second match with Tamyra was over?" Blades replied, "You know, I immediately felt so disappointed and sad, but when I looked up and saw Tamyra crying, I couldn't help but hug her. I know what it feels like to have all of your hard work pay off and I saw that she was getting to feel that and was happy for her. Once I got away from everyone, it hit me again, but I knew I put on a show for these people." At just 17, Blades has years for her career to expand and develop, So what's next for her? She said, "I have a huge target on my back now, so I'm just going to keep trying to make world teams. I guess since I only lost to Tamyra, I'm on the Senior national team and that's pretty cool." She concluded our discussion by saying, "If I can, I just want to say thank you to my coaches, partners, and family. They were right by my side the entire time." On behalf of the wrestling community, I think it is safe to say that we all look forward to having Kennedy's Junior (Because she still has three years of Junior eligibility), U23, and Senior careers unfold.

2019 World Champion Zavur Uguev (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57 KG #1 Zavur Uguev won his fourth Russian national title in thrilling fashion with a 9-5 win over surprise finalist Nachyn Mongush. Mongush, a 2019 Junior Russian National and European champion, made the finals off a stunning upset win over returning national runner-up #2 Azamat Tuskaev 2-1 in the semifinals. Taking bronze was 2019 Intercontinental Cup champion #6 Abubakar Mutaliev by 11-4 decision over Kuzhuget Belek-ool and returning national runner-up #2 Tuskaev by 11-0 tech fall over Uygulaan Ivanov. Kuzhuget Belek-ool takes the #5 spot in the rankings off his strong 5th place finish at nationals marked by wins over past Russian nationals bronze medalists #3 Akhmed Idrisov and #7 Khasanhussein Badrudinov. Tuskaev falls one spot to #2 for his loss to Nachyn Mongush. #9 Musa Mekhtikhanov is out of the rankings after a loss to then-seventh ranked Khasanhussein Badrudinov in the round of 16, 2018 national runner-up Khuresh-Ool Donduk-Ool is in at #10 after losses to #1 Zavur Uguev and #4 Abubakar Mutaliev. 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #1 Zavur Uguev over Nachyn Mongush 9-5 BRONZE: #2 Azamat Tuskaev over Uygulaan Ivanov 11-0 BRONZE: #6 Abubakr Mutaliev over Khuzuget Belek-ool 11-4 Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Zavur Uguev RUS 1 2 Nachyn Mongush RUS UR 3 Azamat Tuskaev RUS 2 4 Abubakar Mutaliev RUS 6 5 Kuzhuget Belek-Ool RUS UR 6 Akhmed Idrisov RUS 3 7 Ramiz Gamzatov RUS 4 8 Muslim Sadulaev RUS 5 9 Khasanhussein Badrudinov RUS 7 10 Khuresh-Ool Donduk-Ool RUS 9 61 KG #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov won his second consecutive national title with a controlling 4-1 win over surging Muslim Mekhtikhanov. Mekhtikhanov posted a strong runner-up finish at the North Caucasus Federal District tournament to 2019 national bronze medalist Dinislam Takhtarov where he upset two-time Russian nationals bronze medalist Zelimkhan Abakarov to make the finals. Mektikhanov defeated Nodar Arabidze and Cherman Tavitov here to make the gold medal match, with Arabidze stopping the momentum of red hot 2020 Junior Russian national champion Fedor Baltuev in the quarters. Baltuev had upset 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Dinislam Takhtarov 6-2 in the round of 32 and Abakarov in the round of 16. Taking bronze at the weight were Cherman Tavitov by 2-0 decision over Nodar Arabidze and Aldar Balzhinimaev with a 5-4 win over 2019 Intercontinental Cup runner-up Rustam Karakhanov. Previous #2 Ramazan Ferzaliev moved up to 65 KG where he took 5th at nationals. #3 Alexander Bogomoev is removed due to inactivity as he hasn't competed since February 2020 when he won Euros, #4 Ibragim Abdurakhamanov and #6 Magomed Magomedov were removed because they moved up to 65 KG for nationals. Cherman Tavitov and Nodar Arabidze take the #3 and #4 spot respectively while Baltuev moves up four spots to #5 with Takhtarov and Abakarov at #6 and #7. Aldar Balzhinimaev claims #7 by taking bronze 5-4 over #10 Rustam Karakhanov who earns his rankings after tech falling 2019 57 KG Alans bronze medalist #10 Alexander Sabanov 12-0 in their second round consolation match. 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #1 Abasgadzi Magomedov over Muslim Mektikhanov 4-1 BRONZE: Aldar Balzhinimaev over Rustam Karakhanov 5-4 BRONZE: Cherman Tavitov over Nodar Arabidze 2-0 Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov RUS 1 2 Muslim Mekhtikhanov RUS UR 3 Cherman Tavitov RUS UR 4 Nodar Arabidze RUS UR 5 Fedor Baltuev RUS 8 6 Zelimkhan Abakarov RUS UR 7 Dinislam Takhtarov RUS UR 8 Aldar Balzhinimaev RUS UR 9 Zhargal Damdinov RUS 9 10 Rustam Karakhanov RUS UR 2019 World Champion Gadzhimurad Rashidov(Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 65 KG #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov won his fourth national title with a 5-3 victory over returning bronze medalist #4 Zagir Shakhiev in the finals. Rashidov's path to the finals saw him beat 2020 U-23 Russian Nationals runner-up #10 Abdulmazhid Kudiev in the round of 16, 2017 national runner-up #6 Murshid Mutalimov 11-0 in the quarters, and returning 61 KG national runner-up #2 (61) Ramazan Ferzaliev 2-2 in the semis. Ferzaliev had a strong semifinal run that saw him beat past Russian Nationals medalists #7 Dasha Sharastepanov and Islam Dudaev. The much anticipated quarterfinal match between 2019 world champions Rashidov and #2 (70) David Baev failed to materialize as Baev was upset in the round of 16 by #6 Murshid Mutalimov 8-2. The repechage of Rashidov's bracket saw #10 Abdulmazhid Kudiev beat #6 Murshid Mutalimov 3-3 in the second round and tech fall Ferzaliev 10-0 for bronze. #4 Zagir Shakhiev's path to the finals came by way of wins over 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Julian Gergenov, Gadjimurad Omarov, returning 61 KG bronze medalist #4 (61) Ibragim Abdurakhmanov and returning 70 KG bronze medalist #3 (70) Kurban Shiraev. Shiraev made the semis opposite of Shakhiev by beating #3 Akhmed Chakaev in the quarters after Chakaev had beaten #2 Naachyn Kuular 5-1. Shiraev also downed 2019 Alans bronze medalist Sayin Kazyryk and 2018 Alans champion Muslim Saidulaev. Other important results were Gergenov beating #6 (61) Magomed Magomedov and #6 (70) Alan Gogaev to make the quarters opposite of Shakhiev who he lost to 2-11. #3 Kurban Shiraev beat Gadjimurad Omarov 3-0 for bronze after Omarov had beaten Abdurakhmanov and Gergenov to make the bronze medal match. Let's break down what the aforementioned results mean in this absolute logjam of a weight. So Shakhiev moves up to #2 for his wins over Shiraev, Abdurakhmanov, Gergenov, and Omarov. Shiraev takes #3 after finishing bronze and beating Chakaev and Omarov. Chakaev is at #4 for beating returning runner-up #2 Naachyn Kuular in the round of 16. #4 (61) Ibragim Abdurakhmanov, #6 (61) Magomed Magomedov, and #6 (70) Alan Gogaev are all unranked and have been removed from their former weight class rankings. #2 (70) David Baev falls down to #8 after his round of 16 loss to #7 Murshid Mutalimov. #10 Abdulmazhid Kudiev moves up four spots to #6 for beating #7 Murshid Mutalimov and #2 (61) Ramazan Ferzaliev. Ferzaliev takes the #9 spot for beating past Russian Nationals bronze medalists #7 Dasha Sharastepanov and Islam Dudaev and taking 5th with losses to Rashidov and Kudiev. Omarov is in at #10 for beating Abdurakhmanov and Gergenov. 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov over #4 Zagir Shakhiev 5-3 BRONZE: #3 (70) Kurban Shiraev over Gadzhimurad Omarov 3-0 BRONZE: Abdulmazhid Kudiev over #2 (61) Ramazan Ferzaliev 10-0 Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Gadzhimurad Rashidov RUS 1 2 Zagir Shakhiev RUS 4 3 Kurban Shiraev RUS 3(70) 4 Akhmed Chakaev RUS 3 5 Naachyn Kuular RUS 2 6 Abdulmazhid Kudiev RUS 10 7 Murshid Mutalimov RUS 6 8 David Baev RUS 2(70) 9 Ramazan Ferzaliev RUS 2(61) 10 Gadzhimurad Omarov RUS UR 70 KG Three time national finalist #6 (74) Israel Kasumov was finally able to make his fourth trip to the finals be the one that won him gold as the Chechen stalwart won 6-3 over two-time Russian Nationals bronze medalist Evgheni Zherbaev. He avenged two past losses to Zherbaev at the 2016 Korkin and the 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medal match. Zherbaev, coming off a disappointing performance up at 74 KG at the Oleg Dukanov Memorial where he failed to place after being tech falled by Magomed Dibirgadzhiev, looked absolutely spectacular on his way to the finals beating the likes of #1 Cherman Valiev, #10 Viktor Rassadin, and #10 (74) Aznaur Tavaev. Kasumov's path to the finals saw him beat 2017 60 KG Junior world champion Abdulla Akhmedov and 2019 Ali Aliyev bronze medalist #8 Anzor Zakuev. #2 David Baev, #3 Kurban Shiraev, and #6 Alan Gogaev all cut down to 65 KG with Baev losing in the round of 16 to #7 (65) Murshid Mutalimov, Shiraev taking bronze, and Gogaev losing to Julian Gergenov in the round of 16. #10 Viktor Rassadin moves up six spots for his win over Aznaur Tavaev in the repechage bracket. Tavaev takes the #5 spot for his 2019 wins over Zherbaev, Artur Badtiev, and Islam Dudaev. Abdulla Akhmedov takes the #8 spot for finishing bronze with a 12-1 win over #9 Anzor Zakuev. 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #10 (74) Israil Kasumov over Evgheni Zherbaev 6-3 BRONZE: #1 Cherman Valiev over #10 Viktor Rassadin 7-6 BRONZE: Abdulla Akhmedov over #9 Anzor Zakuev Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Israil Kasumov RUS 6(74) 2 Evgheni Zherbaev RUS UR 3 Cherman Valiev RUS 1 4 Viktor Rassadin RUS 10 5 Aznaur Tavaev RUS 10(74) 6 Inalbek Sheriev RUS 4 7 Ayatulla Barkakadiev RUS 5 8 Abdulla Akhmedov RUS UR 9 Anzor Zakuev RUS 8 10 Bulat Batoev RUS 9 74 KG In the biggest match of Russian Nationals, it was two time world champion #2 Zaurbek Sidakov that would emerge victorious against reigning national champion #1 Razambek Zhamalov off the strength of two dramatic last second pushouts to secure a 2-2 win. Taking bronze in the bracket was #4 Magomed Kurbanaliev over #3 Timur Bizhoev and #5 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov over Magomed Dibirgadzhiev. Notable results from the bracket were #1 Zhamalov notching his first win over Gazimagomedov 2-1 after three past losses. Sidakov's path to the finals was not without controversy as he was the benefactor of questionable officiating for exposure against Kurbanaliev and Bizhoev. Other important results were #3 Bizhoev beating #8 Magomed Abdulkadyrov 4-0 in the opening round and #5 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov beating #6 Nikita Suchkov 4-2 in his round of 16 match. The aftermath of Russian Nationals sees Sidakov retake the top spot, Zhamalov fall to #2, Kurbanaliev go up to #3 for his head to head win over Bizhoev who falls to #4 and the addition of Magomed Dibirgadzhiev and Darsam Dzhaparov at #9 and #10 with the departure of #6 Israil Kasumov and #10 Aznaur Tavaev. 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #2 Zaurbek Sidakov over #1 Razambek Zhamalov 2-2 BRONZE: #4 Magomed Kurbanaliev over #3 Timur Bizhoev 1-1 BRONZE: #5 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov over Magomed Dibirgadzhiev 4-2 Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Zaurbek Sidakov RUS 2 2 Razambek Zhamalov RUS 1 3 Magomed Kurbanaliev RUS 4 4 Timur Bizhoev RUS 3 5 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov RUS 5 6 Nikita Suchkov RUS 7 7 Magomed Abdulkadyrov RUS 8 8 Kakhaber Khubezhty RUS 9 9 Magomed Dibirgadzhiev RUS UR 10 Darsam Dzhaparov RUS UR 79 KG Malik Shavaev was able to put together a spectacular run that saw him beat two-time U-23 European champion Radik Valiev, returning national runner-up #2 Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev, Ernak Kardanov, and returning national champion #1 Akhmed Usmanov to take gold. Shavaev occupies the top spot in the rankings for his spectacular run. Returning national champion Usmanov was in top form on his way to the finals posting wins over 2019 Junior world champion #9 Amkhad Tashukhadzhiev and 2019 world bronze medalist #10 (86) Gadzhi Nabiev. Finishing as bronze medalists were Nabiev over #9 Amkhad Tashukhadzhiev 6-1 and Valiev over Alikhmaev 6-5. As has been the case for every year of its inception, 79 KG nationals saw a slew of top notch upsets and changing of the guard. Alikhamev beat two time national runner-up #4 Atsamaz Sanakoev 6-2 in the round of 16, Khalil Aminov avenged his quarterfinals loss from last year to #3 Evgheni Lapshov with an 8-0 win in the round of 16. Nabiev beat returning bronze medalist Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov 6-3 in the quarterfinals, Abdulla Tsatsaev upset #5 Dmitry Zainiidinov 6-3 in the round of 32 and Valiev put together a spectacular bronze medal run with wins over Alikhmaev, Khalid Yakhiev, Khalil Aminov, and Khabib Magomedov. From the aftermath of Russian Nationals, Malik Shavaev goes from unranked to #1, Usmanov falls one spot to #2, Valiev takes the #3 spot, five time Russian Nationals medalist Nabiev takes the #5 spot, Khalil Aminov returns to the rankings at #6, Sanakoev and Lapshov both fell four spots respectively to #8 and #7 after losses to #4 Alikhmaev and #6 Khalil Aminov. Ernak Kardanov is in the rankings at #9 for beating 2020 Junior national champion #10 Magomed Magomaev. Zainiidinov, #6 Tazhidin Akaev and #9 Amkhad Tashukhadzhiev have been removed from the rankings due to losses, Zainiidinov's to Abdulla Tsatsaev and Tashukhadzhiev's to Usmanov and Nabiev, and Akaev for moving up to 86 KG where he lost to #4 (86) Vladislav Valiev. 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: Malik Shavaev over #1 Akhmed Usmanov 6-4 BRONZE: Radik Valiev over #2 Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev 6-5 BRONZE: #10 (86) Gadzhi Nabiev over #9 Amkhad Tashukhadzhiev 6-1 Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Malik Shavaev RUS UR 2 Akhmed Usmanov RUS 1 3 Radik Valiev RUS UR 4 Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev RUS 2 5 Gadzhi Nabiev RUS 10(86) 6 Khalil Aminov RUS UR 7 Atsamaz Sanakoev RUS 4 8 Evgheni Lapshov RUS 3 9 Ernak Kardanov RUS UR 10 Magomed Magomaev RUS UR 86 KG #2 Artur Naifonov was as clutch as ever in securing his second national title over #1 Dauren Kurugliev with a 2-1 win. Naifonov was nearly deprived of his fourth straight Russian Nationals finals as he was down 8-1 early in his semifinal match against #3 Magomed Ramazanov before mounting a furious comeback to win 9-8. Finishing bronze was Ramazanov by 4-1 win over Khabi Khashpakov and #6 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov by 5-1 win over #8 Zaur Makiev. Some relevant wins for the rest of the field were #9(92) Magomedsharif Biyakaev notching a strong run to the quarterfinals with wins over #4 Arsenali Musalaliev and #8 Khabib Gadzhiev and #4 Vladislav Valiev beating #6 (79) Tazhidin Akaev 4-3 in the round of 16 and then falling 6-2 to #Ramazanov in the quarterfinals. Only changes in the top five are Valiev and Gadzhimagomedov both moving up to #4 and #5 after Musalaliev's loss to Magomedsharif Biyakaev who sits at #6 for his wins over Musalaliev and Gadzhiev who now resides at #8. #6 Tazhidin Akaev debuts in the 86 KG rankings at #9. 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #2 Artur Naifonov over #1 Dauren Kurugliev 2-1 BRONZE: #6 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov over #8 Zaur Makiev 5-1 BRONZE: #3 Magomed Ramazanov over Khabi Khashpakov 4-1 Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Artur Naifonov RUS 2 2 Dauren Kurugliev RUS 1 3 Magomed Ramazanov RUS 3 4 Vladislav Valiev RUS 5 5 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov RUS 6 6 Magomedsharif Biyakaev RUS 9(92) 7 Arsenali Musalaliev RUS 4 8 Khabib Gadzhiev RUS 7 9 Tazhidin Akaev RUS 6(79) 10 Zaur Makiev RUS 8 92 KG #1 Alikhan Zhabrailov moved up to 97 KG where the 2019 world bronze medalist won nationals over returning runner-up #3 (97) Aslanbek Sotiev. In his absence, returning two-time national runner-up #2 Magomed Kurbanov finally won his first national title with a forfeit over #4 Anzor Urishev. #3 Batyrbek Tsakulov forfeited out of the first round so he was lowered one spot for inactivity. Bronze medalists were North Caucasus Federal District champion #9 (86) Soslan Ktsoev by 11-1 tech fall over #6 Guram Chertkoev and #6 Azamat Zakuev 1-1 over 2018 86 KG bronze medalist Zelimkhan Minkailov. Changes in the rankings were Kurbanov taking the #1 spot with his national title, Urishev moving up to #2, Soslan Ktsoev slotting in at #4 after being ranked ninth at 86 KG and 2019 Junior world champion Alan Bagaev taking the #8 spot. 2020 Yarygin bronze medalist #5 Radik Nartikoev dropped two spots due to inactivity. 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #2 Magomed Kurbanov over #4 Anzor Urishev by forfeit BRONZE: #9 (86) Soslan Ktsoev over #6 Guram Chertkoev 11-1 BRONZE: #7 Azamat Zakuev over Zelimkhan Minkailov 1-1 Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Magomed Kurbanov RUS 2 2 Anzor Urishev RUS 4 3 Batyrbek Tsakulov RUS 3 4 Soslan Ktsoev RUS 9(86) 5 Guram Chertkoev RUS 6 6 Azamat Zakuev RUS 7 7 Radik Nartikoev RUS 5 8 Alan Bagaev RUS UR 9 Zagir Karimov RUS 8 10 Magomed Baibekov RUS 10 5x World Champion AbdulrashidSadulaev (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 97 KG In the absence of #1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev, #1 (92) Alikhan Zhabrailov made the move up and won the Russian National title at 97 KG with a 5-0 victory over #2 Aslanbek Sotiev. Taking bronze was Khokh Khugaev by pin over 2019 bronze medalist Georgi Gogaev and Znaur Kotsiev winning 3-0 over Tazhudin Mukhtarov. Someone who made a lot of noise in this bracket was Khugaev who upset #5 Maxim Tolmachev 12-2 in the round of 16 and beat 2019 national runner-up #3 Igor Ovsyannikov 2-1 in the quarterfinals. For his efforts, Khugaev takes the #4 spot in the rankings while #3 Igor Ovsyannikov drops two spots to #5 and Tolmachev to #6. Debuting in the rankings at #10 is Znaur Kotsiev for his win over Tazhudin Mukhtarov in the bronze medal match. 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #1 (92) Alikhan Zhabrailov over #2 Aslanbek Sotiev 5-0 BRONZE: Khokh Khugaev over Georgi Gogaev by pin BRONZE: Znaur Kotsiev over Tazhudin Mukhtarov 3-0 Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev RUS 1 2 Alikhan Zhabrailov RUS 1(92) 3 Aslanbek Sotiev RUS 2 4 Khokh Khugaev RUS UR 5 Igor Ovsyannikov RUS 3 6 Maxim Tolmachev RUS 5 7 Aslanbek Gazzaev RUS 6 8 Shamil Musaev RUS 7 9 Tazhudin Mukhtarov RUS 9 10 Znaur Kotsiev RUS UR 125 KG 125 kilograms was a weight that absolutely defied expectations and showed that Russia was finally capable of developing a strong lineup of young senior ready talent. This was especially evident in the form of 2018 110 KG Cadet world bronze medalist Sergey Kozyrev's 3-3 title winning performance over two-time national semifinalist #9 Atsamaz Tebloev. Taking bronze in what was a stacked bracket top to bottom was #3 Anzor Khizriev by forfeit over #7 Zelimkhan Khizriev and #5 Baldan Tsyzhipov by pin over 2019 Junior European champion Saypudin Magomedov. There was a lot of chaos in this bracket and the biggest case right out of the gate was Sergey Kozyrev's string of upset victories in quarterfinals and semifinals against #3 Anzor Khizriev and #7 Zelimkhan Khizriev beating the senior Khizriev 5-4 and the younger Zelimkhan 5-1. There was a hellish four-man quadrant on the top half of the bottom bracket with 2019 national runner-up beating 2019 97 KG national champion Vladislav Baitsaev 7-0 in the qualification round and falling to Anzor Khizriev who beat #4 (97) Magomedkhan Magomedov 3-2 in his qualifying match. As was the case last year, #4 Batraz Gazzaev fell at nationals after regular season success, this time losing to 2016 Junior world champion Kazbek Khubulov 5-4 in the qualification round. Khubulov lost 4-1 to Zelimkhan Khizriev in the round of 16. The top half saw its fair share of upsets as well as 2019 Junior European champion Saypudin Magomedov upsetting returning bronze medalist #8 Vitali Goloev 15-10 in the round of 16 falling to eventual national runner-up Tebloev 4-0 in the quarterfinals. Tebloev notched the biggest win of his career with a pin in the semis over 2020 European bronze medalist #5 Baldan Tsyzhipov. The aftermath of Russian Nationals sees Sergey Kozyrev take the #1 spot, #9 Atsamaz Tebloev jump up four spots to #5 for his runner-up finish and semifinal pin over #5 Baldan Tsyzhipov. #4 Batraz Gazzaev and #5 Baldan Tsyzhipov both fell five spots each to #9 and #10 respectively for their losses to #8 Kazbek Khubulov and #5 Atsamaz Tebloev respectively. Kazbek Khubulov is in at #8 for beating #4 Batraz Gazzaev 6-5 in the qualification round. 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: Sergey Kozyrev over #9 Atsamaz Tebloev 3-3 BRONZE: #3 Anzor Khizriev over #7 Zelimkhan Khizriev by forfeit BRONZE: #5 Baldan Tsyzhipov over Saypudin Magomedov by pin Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Sergey Kozyrev RUS UR 2 Shamil Sharipov RUS 1 3 Alan Khugaev RUS 2 4 Anzor Khizriev RUS 3 5 Atsamaz Tebloev RUS 9 6 Zelimkhan Khizriev RUS 7 7 Tamerlan Rasuev RUS 6 8 Kazbek Khubulov RUS UR 9 Batraz Gazzaev RUS 4 10 Baldan Tsyzhipov RUS 5 Two-time World Champion Zaurbek Sidakov (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Pound for Pound #3 Zaurbek Sidakov retakes the top spot after his title-winning performance at 74 KG. #6 Cherman Valiev and #7 David Baev took major drops in the ranking after taking bronze at 70 KG and failing to place at 65 KG with Valiev dropping to #18 and Baev falling to #22. With their fall, the remainder of the elite of 74 KG takes up the bottom half of the top ten with the only change between them being #9 Magomed Kurbanaliev going ahead to #6 to #7 Timur Bizhoev for his win in their bronze medal match at 74 KG nationals. #12 Israil Kasumov moved up three spots to #9 for his national title over Evgheni Zherbaev who takes the #17 spot for his win over #6 Cherman Valiev in the semifinals. Zagir Shakhiev enters the rankings at #13 for his runner-up finish at Russian Nationals that saw him beat #22 Kurban Shiraev 6-3 in the semis after Shiraev had beaten #16 Akhmed Chakaev who beat #11 Naachyn Kuular. #13 Alexander Bogomoev has been removed from the rankings due to inactivity as he hasn't wrestled since February 2020 where he won the European championships. Abdulmazhid Kudiev debuts in the rankings at #20 for his wins over #20 Ramazan Ferzaliev and Murshid Mutalimov at 65 KG nationals. Murshid Mutalimov takes the #21 spot for his 8-2 upset win in the round of 16 over Baev who now sits at #22 in the rankings. 79 KG national champion Malik Shavaev debuts in the rankings at #24 and 125 KG national champion Sergey Kozyrev takes the #25 spot. Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Zaurbek Sidakov RUS 3 2 Abdulrashid Sadulaev RUS 1 3 Razambek Zhamalov RUS 2 4 Gadzhimurad Rashidov RUS 4 5 Zavur Uguev RUS 5 6 Magomed Kurbanaliev RUS 9 7 Timur Bizhoev RUS 8 8 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov RUS 10 9 Israil Kasumov RUS 12 10 Artur Naifonov RUS 15 11 Dauren Kurugliev RUS 14 12 Magomed Ramazanov RUS 18 13 Zagir Shakhiev RUS UR 14 Kurban Shiraev RUS 22 15 Akhmed Chakaev RUS 16 16 Naachyn Kuular RUS 11 17 Evgheni Zherbaev RUS UR 18 Cherman Valiev RUS 6 19 Abasgadzhi Magomedov RUS 19 20 Abdulmazhid Kudiev RUS UR 21 Murshid Mutalimov RUS UR 22 David Baev RUS 7 23 Alikhan Zhabrailov RUS 23 24 Malik Shavaev RUS UR 25 Sergey Kozyrev RUS UR

2021 NCAA DII Wrestler of the year Kameron Teacher (Photo/Kylie Macziewski; SCSU athletics) Manheim, PA - On Monday, the National Wrestling Coaches Association announced the winners of both the Division II Wrestler of the Year and Rookie Wrestler of the Year awards. "It is an honor on behalf of the NWCA and our Board of Directors to recognize these two wonderful student-athletes. Under difficult conditions as a result of COVID-19, these young men demonstrated a tremendous amount of grit and not only persevered but excelled" said Mike Moyer, NWCA Executive Director. NWCA DIVISION II WRESTLER OF THE YEAR The NWCA is proud to announce the NWCA Division II Wrestler of the Year is Kameron Teacher from St. Cloud State University. Teacher, a Redshirt Senior from Grove City, Ohio, who competes at 285 pounds, completed his season with a perfect 13-0 record and was named one of six NWCA Division II Super Regional Wrestlers of the Year. Teacher's impressive 2021 season was highlighted by winning the 285 Division II National Title and in doing so secured St. Cloud State's third consecutive NCAA Division II Team Championship. Teacher is now a four-time All-American with national finishes of 1st, 3rd, 2nd, & 2nd. SUPER REGION WRESTLER OF THE YEAR WINNERS Super Region 1 - Luke Martin, Fairmont State University Super Region 2 - Isiah Royal, Newberry College Super Region 3 - James Wimer, University of Findlay Super Region 4 - Ryan Vasbinder, McKendree University Super Region 5 - Kameron Teacher, St. Cloud State University Super Region 6 - Fred Green, Colorado Mesa University NWCA DIVISION II ROOKIE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR This year's NWCA Division II Rookie Wrestler of the year is Zach Ryg of Upper Iowa University. The Plymouth, IA native, finished his redshirt freshman campaign with a 12-1 record and was named one of six NWCA Division II Super Regional Rookie Wrestlers of the Year. The 2021 season saw Ryg, a 197-pound wrestler, win the Super Regional Title and capture NWCA All-American honors with his third-place finish at the NCAA Division II National Championships. SUPER REGION ROOKIE WRESTLER OF THE YEAR WINNERS Super Region 1 - Roland Mills, Mercyhurst University Super Region 2 - Christian Small, King University Super Region 3 - Logan Bailey, University of Indianapolis Super Region 4 - Cory Peterson, McKendree University Super Region 5 - Zach Ryg, Upper Iowa University Super Region 6 - Joseph Reimers, University of Nebraska, Kearney ABOUT THE NWCA The National Wrestling Coaches Association, established in 1928, is a non-profit organization for the advancement of all levels of the sport of wrestling with a primary emphasis on developing coaches who work in academic environments. The three core competencies of the NWCA are: Coaching Development, Student-Athlete Welfare, and the Promotion of Wrestling.

(Photo/The Guillotine, Richard Immel) Each year after the NCAA tournament, InterMat has looked back at the redshirt senior class to see which wrestlers from the high school senior class of five years ago had the best collegiate career. This year, the group to be discussed is the Class of 2016. Due to the circumstances around the last two NCAA wrestling tournaments, the discussion is going to be a bit incomplete. For the 2020 tournament, one is reduced to using the seeding to replicate performance; while the 2021 season was a truncated one with some athletes not getting the chance to participate. Other athletes will get to compete in 2021-22, as well. However, below is this year's attempt at ranking the top 25 collegiate careers for wrestlers from the high school Class of 2016. 1. Mark Hall (Penn State/Apple Valley, Minn.) - 2016 high school rank: 1st - 3x NCAA finalist, 2017 NCAA champion; was seeded 1st in the 2020 NCAA tournament; did not redshirt 2. Hayden Hidlay (North Carolina State/Mifflin County, Pa.) - 2016 high school rank: 13th - 3x NCAA All-American, 2018 runner-up; was seeded 2nd in the 2020 NCAA tournament 3. Sebastian Rivera (Rutgers via Northwestern/Christian Brothers Academy, N.J.) - 2016 high school rank: 60th - 3x NCAA All-American; was seeded 1st in the 2020 NCAA tournament 4. Nick Suriano (Rutgers via Penn State/Bergen Catholic, N.J.) - 2016 high school rank: 2nd - 2x NCAA finalist, 2019 NCAA champion; qualified for 2017 NCAA tournament but injury precluded his participation; did not redshirt out of high school, but has utilized Olympic redshirt for 2020 and 2021 5. Luke Pletcher (Ohio State/Greater Latrobe, Pa.) - 2016 high school rank: 8th - 2x NCAA All-American; was seeded first in the 2020 NCAA tournament; went 2-2 in the 2017 NCAA tournament; did not redshirt 6. Alex Marinelli (Iowa/St. Paris Graham, Ohio) - 2016 high school rank: 3rd - 2x NCAA All-American; was seeded 1st in the 2020 NCAA tournament; was round of 12 in 2021 as the top seed (defaulted in consolation match due to injury) 7. Jack Mueller (Virginia/Trinity Christian Academy, Texas) - 2016 high school rank: 25th - 2x NCAA All-American, 2019 runner-up; round of 12 in 2018; was seeded 4th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; did not redshirt 8. Chad Red (Nebraska/New Palestine, Ind.) - 2016 high school rank: 5th - 3x NCAA All-American; was seeded 6th in the 2020 NCAA tournament 9. Ryan Deakin (Northwestern/Legacy, Colo.) - 2016 high school rank: 95th - 2x NCAA All-American; was seeded 1st in the 2020 NCAA tournament; went 2-2 in 2018 10. Evan Wick (Wisconsin/San Marino, Calif.) - 2016 high school rank: 39th - 2x NCAA All-American; was seeded 8th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; redshirted the 2021 season 11. Max Dean (Cornell/Lowell, Mich.) - 2016 high school rank: 63rd - 2x NCAA All-American, 2019 runner-up; took Olympic redshirt in 2020, his institution did not participate in the 2021 season 12. Isaiah White (Nebraska via Notre Dame College/Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) - 2016 high school rank: 4th - 2019 NCAA Division I All-American, round of 12 in 2018; NCAA Division II champion in 2017; was seeded 5th in the 2020 NCAA Division I tournament; did not redshirt 13. Tariq Wilson (North Carolina State/Steubenville) - 2016 high school rank: 75th - 2x NCAA All-American; round of 12 in 2019; was seeded 15th in the 2020 NCAA tournament 14. Kaleb Young (Iowa/Punxsatawney, Pa.) - 2016 high school rank: 26th - 2x NCAA All-American; was seeded 8th in the 2020 NCAA tournament 15. Dakota Geer (Oklahoma State via Edinboro/Franklin Area, Pa.) - 2016 high school rank: 30th - 2x NCAA All-American; went 2-2 in 2017 before redshirt in 2018; was seeded 14th in the 2020 NCAA tournament 16. Mitch McKee (Minnesota/St. Michael-Albertville, Minn.) - 2016 high school rank: 20th - 2019 NCAA All-American; round of 12 in 2017 and 2018; was seeded 10th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; did not redshirt 17. Taylor Venz (Nebraska/Farmington, Minn.) - 2016 high school rank: weight class only - 2018 NCAA All-American; was seeded 7th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; round of 12 in 2019 and 2021 18. Jordan Wood (Lehigh/Boyertown, Pa.) - 2016 high school rank: 10th - 2019 NCAA All-American, round of 12 in 2018, went 2-2 in 2019; was seeded 9th in the 2020 NCAA tournament 19. Jarrett Degen (Iowa State via Virginia Tech/Belgrade, Mont.) - 2016 high school rank: 86th - 2019 NCAA All-American; was seeded 8th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; round of 12 in 2018; went 0-2 in 2021 20. Matt Stencel (Central Michigan/Oregon Clay, Ohio) - 2016 high school rank: 16th - 2019 NCAA All-American; qualified for the 2018 and 2021 NCAA tournaments; was seeded 5th in the 2020 NCAA tournament 21. Drew Hildebrandt (Central Michigan/Penn, Ind.) - 2016 high school rank: weight class only - 2021 NCAA All-American; was seeded 6th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; went 1-2 in 2019 22. Jake Wentzel (Pittsburgh/South Park, Pa.) - 2016 high school rank: 33rd - 2021 NCAA runner-up; was seeded 11th in the 2020 NCAA tournament 23. Ben Darmstadt (Cornell/Elyria, Ohio) - 2016 high school rank: 28th - 2018 NCAA All-American; was seeded 4th in the 2020 NCAA tournament 24. Taylor Lamont (Utah Valley/Maple Mountain, Utah) - 2016 high school rank: 23rd - 2021 NCAA All-American; round of 12 in 2018; was seeded 17th in the 2020 NCAA tournament 25. Eric Schultz (Nebraska/Tinley Park, Ill.) - 2016 high school rank: 40th - seeded 3rd in the 2020 NCAA tournament; went 2-2 in 2018, 2019, and 2021 Honorable Mention (alphabetical order): **Montorie Bridges (Wyoming/Altus, Okla.) - 2016 high school rank: 94th - 2018 NCAA All-American; seeded 8th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; went 2-2 in 2019 **Christian Brunner (Purdue/Dundee-Crown, Ill.) - 2016 high school rank: 84th - seeded 6th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; round of 12 in the 2019 NCAA tournament; went 1-2 in 2017 and 2019; did not redshirt **Daniel Bullard (North Carolina State/Archer, Ga.) - 2016 high school rank: 42nd - 2021 NCAA All-American; was seeded 15th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; went 1-2 in 2018 and 2019 **Dylan Duncan (Illinois/Montini Catholic, Ill.) - 2016 high school rank: 37th - 2021 NCAA All-American; was seeded 19th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; went 0-2 in 2018 and 2019 **Gannon Gremmel (Iowa State/Dubuque Hempstead, Iowa) - 2016 high school rank: 43rd - 2021 NCAA All-American; was seeded 11th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; went 1-2 in 2019 **Louie Hayes (Virginia/Carl Sandburg, Ill.) - 2016 high school rank: weight class only - 2021 NCAA All-American; seeded 20th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; round of 12 in 2018 **Ian Parker (Iowa State/St. Johns, Mich.) - 2016 high school rank: 71st - was seeded 4th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; went 1-2 in 2019 and 2021 **Micky Phillippi (Pittsburgh via Virginia/Derry Area, Pa.) - 2016 high school rank: 22nd - round of 12 in 2019 and 2021; was seeded 4th in the 2020 NCAA tournament **Travis Piotrowski (Illinois/Prairie Ridge, Ill.) - 2016 high school rank: 77th - seeded 7th in the 2020 NCAA tornament, went 2-2 in the 2018 NCAA tournament, went 1-2 in 2017 and 2019; did not redshirt **Devin Schroder (Purdue/Grand Rapids Catholic Central, Mich.) - 2016 high school rank: weight class only - seeded 5th in the 2020 NCAA tournament; round of 12 in 2021; went 2-2 in 2019 **Wyatt Sheets (Oklahoma State/Stilwell, Okla.) - 2016 high school rank: 59th - 2021 NCAA All-American; was seeded 11th in the 2020 NCAA tournament **Nathan Traxler (Stanford/Marmion Academy, Ill.) - 2016 high school rank: 29th - 3x round of 12 at the NCAA tournament; went 2-2 in 2018 High profile seniors with notable wrestling success outside of NCAA Division I: Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa.) - high school rank: 7th - 2017 World Championships participant in Greco-Roman Kamal Bey (Oak Park River Forest, Ill.) - high school rank: 11th - 2018 World Championships participant in Greco-Roman, runner-up for World Championships slot in 2019 Kameron Teacher (Grove City Central Crossing, Ohio) - high school rank: 55th - 4x NCAA Division II All-American at 285 pounds; 2nd in 2017, 2nd in 2018, 3rd in 2019 at Notre Dame College, then champion in 2021 at St. Cloud State High profile seniors with notable success on the football field: Osawaru Odighizuwa (David Douglas, Ore.) - high school rank: 6th - first-team all-Pac-12 as a defensive tackle in 2020 at UCLA Josh Hokit (Clovis, Calif.) - high school rank: 41st - played at Fresno State as a running back, was also 5th in the NCAA tournament at 197 in 2019 and 12th seed for the 2020 NCAA tournament at 285; currently on the San Francisco 49ers roster, though did not play in any games during 2020 Nick Coe (Asheboro, N.C.) - high school rank: weight class only - played at Auburn as a defensive end for three years, then went undrafted and was on the Miami Dolphins practice squad for the duration of the 2020 season Matt Allen (Hinsdale Central, Ill.) - high school rank: weight class only - started for Michigan State at center during the 2017-2019 seasons, was slated to start in 2020 before injury derailed, and will be back for a sixth season in 2021 due to the free year for COVID Ben Stille (Ashland-Greenwood, Neb.) - high school rank: weight class only - started all games at defensive end during the 2018 and 2020 seasons for Nebraska, will be back in 2021 for a sixth season due to the free year for COVID For final review, the top 25 overall wrestlers in the Class of 2016 were as follows: 1. Mark Hall (Apple Valley, Minn./Penn State) 2. Nick Suriano (Bergen Catholic, N.J./Rutgers via Penn State) 3. Alex Marinelli (St. Paris Graham, Ohio/Iowa) 4. Isaiah White (Oak Park River Forest, Ill./Nebraska via Notre Dame College) 5. Chad Red (New Palestine, Ind./Nebraska) 6. Osawaru Odighizuwa (David Douglas, Ore./UCLA football) 7. Mason Manville (Wyoming Seminary, Pa./Penn State) 8. Luke Pletcher (Greater Latrobe, Pa./Ohio State) 9. Nic Reenan (Wyoming Seminary, Pa./North Carolina State) 10. Jordan Wood (Boyertown, Pa./Lehigh) 11. Kamal Bey (Oak Park River Forest, Ill./USOTC for Greco-Roman) 12. Beau Breske (Hartford Area, Wis./Wisconsin via Nebraska) 13. Hayden Hidlay (Mifflin County, Pa./North Carolina State) 14. Samuel Colbray (Hermiston, Ore./Iowa State) 15. Luke Karam (Bethlehem Catholic, Pa./Lehigh) 16. Matt Stencel (Oregon Clay, Ohio/Central Michigan) 17. Griffin Parriott (New Prague, Minn./Purdue) 18. Thomas Bullard (Archer, Ga./North Carolina State) 19. Chris Weiler (Wyoming Seminary, Pa./Wisconsin via Lehigh) 20. Mitch McKee (St. Michael-Albertville, Minn./Minnesota) 21. Blake Rypel (Indianapolis Cathedral, Ind./Southeastern University via Indiana) 22. Micky Phillippi (Derry, Pa./Pittsburgh via Virginia) 23. Taylor Lamont (Maple Mountain, Utah/Utah Valley) 24. Rudy Yates (Carl Sandburg, Ill./Northern Iowa) 25. Jack Mueller (Trinity Christian Academy, Texas/Virginia)

(Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 7:21 AM - J'den entered the weigh-in room 8:13 AM - J'den made weight Those are the stamp stamps officially recorded. And how do we know this? Every athlete, coach, trainer, official, administrator, and media member admitted to the Olympic Trials had, hanging from a Nike lanyard, a credential around their neck. On the back of that credential was a bar code. Any time you entered a building or designated area, that barcode was scanned. The time that J'den entered the workout room, which also doubled as the weigh-in area. J'den's barcode was scanned at 7:21 AM, 39 minutes prior to the scales closing. On Friday morning, when rumblings started surfacing that there was some issue, I tweeted this: The reason for my error was that 1) I didn't know that he made the weight after the designated time and 2) perhaps a reluctance or fear to believe J'den would be out. I confirmed with several more people - coaches, athletes, and media present at the scales - the J'den had, in fact, weighed in late. And then USA Wrestling released a statement confirming the worst-case scenario - that J'den was out. I spent the rest of the morning - the time between weigh-ins and the first whistle - with several key members of J'den's camp as they shook their heads and tried to gather information. It was me, Jaydin Eierman, Mike Eierman, and J'den's Uncle Phil (also known as Gabe Arnold's father). It was then that I was first told that J'den was under the impression that the scales would be open longer. As the story goes, USA Wrestling's Developmental Coach and Olympic Gold medalist Kevin Jackson, who also serves as J'den's personal coach, had told J'den the wrong weigh-in times. According to them, J'den was encouraged to sign an appeal stating that a USA Wrestling employee misinformed him, but that J'den was very reluctant to either implicate Jackson or put him under scrutiny. Eventually, with prodding from his camp and Coach Jackson himself, he did file an appeal detailing those circumstances. After learning all this, I wrote the following article on our sister site MatScouts A committee was formed to hear the appeal, which was ultimately denied. It wasn't until Saturday, during the wrestleback rounds, that I was able to talk to J'den himself. He was walking past my press seat and I told him, "keep your head up." J'den promptly sat down and told me what had transpired, which was pretty much the spitting image of the picture I had been given by his camp 30 hrs prior. The twist was that, according to J'den, when he stepped on the scale at 8:13 AM and made 97 kilograms, he believed nothing was amiss. J'den said it wasn't until "about an hour later", after he left the building, he was informed that his weigh-in didn't count. Indeed, people in the workout room said that when J'den arrived at the workout room, he didn't appear to be in a panic or rush; he warmed up casually and was his usual, jovial self. Those sources say he didn't really start getting his heart rate up until around 7:40 / 7:45. J'den noted that he arrived 2lbs over - which is easy to shed with a light workout for him and most wrestlers. Several standers-by said that on J'den's first attempt to weigh-in, he was .4 lbs over. Again, that's easy for a wrestler of J'den's caliber. However, they were up against the clock. And it seems that Coach Jackson may have realized the error late. People in the room say that Jackson came running across the workout mats shouting, "J'den, we gotta go." Those same people say J'den tried out several scales prior to 8:00 AM and the most repeated figure was that J'den was in .2 kg's over. The final question I had was: "Why was J'den allowed to even step on the scales after 8:00?" I wasn't able to ascertain that until a Sunday morning conversation with a USA Wrestling official. I've been in the weigh-in room at dozens of USA Wrestling trials and/or UWW World Championships and when time is up, the scales are closed. That's, that. What I was told was that J'den was allowed to make the weight - in front of the weighmaster and all necessary officials - in order to have documentation in case of appeal or arbitration. In response to my "Keep your head up," J'den's first words were, "Everyone keeps saying that. I'll be fine. I'm not going anywhere. I'm staying at 97kg and winning that spot from here on out." For J'den's part, he says there are two things most upsetting for him: 1) USA Wrestling not recognizing Kevin Jackson as a part of their team and ruling that KJ's guidance on weigh-in times did not affect his course of action 2) That USA Wrestling wouldn't make some sort of remedy - namely that they wouldn't do as he suggested and allow him to weigh in at 4:30 PM Friday night (2 hrs before his first match).

(Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Men's Freestyle 57 kg match one - Thomas Gilman over Vito Arujau 5:42 57 kg match two - Thomas Gilman over Vito Arujau 2-2 65 kg match one - Jordan Oliver over Joey McKenna 3-0 65 kg match two - Jordan Oliver over Joey McKenna 5-2 74 kg match one - Kyle Dake over Jordan Burroughs 3-0 74 kg match two - Kyle Dake over Jordan Burroughs 3-2 86 kg match one - David Taylor over Bo Nickal 4-0 86 kg match two - David Taylor over Bo Nickal 6-0 97 kg match one - Kyle Snyder over Kollin Moore 10-0 97 kg match two - Kyle Snyder over Kollin Moore 5-1 125 kg match one - Gable Steveson over Nick Gwiazdowski 10-0 125 kg match two - Gable Steveson over Nick Gwiazdowski 10-4 Women's Freestyle 50 kg match one - Sarah Hildebrandt over Victoria Anthony 12-2 50 kg match two - Sarah Hildebrandt over Victoria Anthony 10-0 53 kg match one - Jacarra Winchester over Ronna Heaton 7-4 53 kg match two - Jacarra Winchester over Ronna Heaton 12-2 57 kg match one - Helen Maroulis over Jenna Burkert 5-3 57 kg match two - Jenna Burkert over Helen Maroulis 6-5 57 kg match three - Helen Maroulis over Jenna Burkert Fall :23 62 kg match one - Kayla Miracle over Macey Kilty 8-4 62 kg match two - Macey Kilty over Kayla Miracle 4-3 62 kg match three - Kayla Miracle over Macey Kilty Injury Default 68 kg match one - Tamyra Mensah-Stock over Kennedy Blades 12-4 68 kg match two - Tamyra Mensah-Stock over Kennedy Blades 8-1 76 kg match one - Adeline Gray over Kylie Welker 10-0 76 kg match two - Adeline Gray over Kylie Welker 11-0 Men's Greco-Roman 60 kg match one - Ildar Hafizov over Ryan Mango 7-0 60 kg match two - Ildar Hafizov over Ryan Mango 8-0 67 kg match one - Alejandro Sancho over Ellis Coleman 2-0 67 kg match two - Alejandro Sancho over Ellis Coleman 3-1 77 kg match one - Jesse Porter over Peyton Walsh 8-1 77 kg match two - Jesse Porter over Peyton Walsh 7-7 87 kg match one - John Stefanowicz over Joe Rau 6-5 87 kg match two - John Stefanowicz over Joe Rau 2-1 97 kg match one - G'Angelo Hancock over Braxton Amos 8-0 97 kg match two - G'Angelo Hancock over Braxton Amos 8-0 130 kg match one - Adam Coon over Cohlton Schultz 10-1 130 kg match two - Adam Coon over Cohlton Schultz 3-3

(Photo/Mark Lundy; www.luttelens.com) Aside from the drama surrounding the weigh-in status of two-time world champion and 2016 Olympian bronze medalist, J'Den Cox, the morning session at the Olympic Trials generally went according to plan. Most knew that would not be the case in the evening session. The semifinals and challenge tournament finals featured some of the best action of the day and a handful of upsets. Perhaps the bracket with the most chaos was 65 kg in the men's freestyle division. Both 2019 Final X participants, Zain Retherford and Yianni Diakomihalis, were upset victims in the semis. Retherford fell to 2019 NCAA runner-up, Joey McKenna, in a shootout that saw McKenna capitalize and score exposure points on Retherford's offensive attempts. Diakomihalis was defeated by former training partner Jordan Oliver. The two-time national champion from Oklahoma State rallied late in the second period and grabbed a single leg and ran Diakomihalis out of bounds for a step-out point. The tipped criteria in Oliver's favor with only six seconds remaining in the bout. Since no one is waiting in the Trials finals at 65 kg, both advanced without competing in the challenge tournament finals. The most anticipated bout of the entire tournament is officially set as Kyle Dake dominated Jason Nolf 11-0 in the challenge tournament finals. That sets up another chapter in the rivalry between Dake and 2012 Olympic gold medalist Jordan Burroughs. Burroughs sits in the finals after winning a world bronze medal in 2019. The women's division was shook up by a pair of high school juniors who secured spots in tomorrow's finals. Kennedy Blades registered an 11-1 tech fall over two-time world team member Forrest Molinari, after downing U23 world bronze medalist Alex Glaude in the semis. She will face 2019 world champion, Tamyra-Mensah Stock, at 68 kg, with a place on the Olympic team looming in the balance. The second high schooler, Kylie Welker, secured a spot in tomorrow's finals against legendary five-time world champion Adeline Gray at 76 kg. Welker clinched a place in the tournament after making the finals of the 68 kg weight class at the Last Chance Qualifier last weekend. Welker moved up to 76 kg for this tournament and was seeded 14th. She has wins over the top-two seeds, Dymond Guilford and Victoria Francis. A young entrant in the Greco division that opened eyes was Wisconsin freshman Braxton Amos. Braxton qualified in both styles and lost a freestyle match early in the tournament. He had wins over a pair of veterans, Lucas Sheridan and Nicholas Boykin. Also, on the Greco front, a couple of WCAP wrestlers won the challenge tournament, Ryan Mango and Ellis Coleman, will compete for a place on the Olympic team. Mango and Coleman's Army WCAP teammate Jenna Burkert was responsible for one of the most emotional moments of the tournament. Burkert's mother recently passed away and this was her first competition since. She teched Cameron Guerin in the semifinal before pinning two-time world silver medalist Alli Ragan in the challenge tournament final. That sets up a match with 2016 Olympic gold medalist Helen Maroulis in the 57 kg finals. Here are the full results and tomorrow's Olympic Trials final matchups MGR Semifinal Results 60 KG Leslie Fuenffinger (WCAP) over Dalton Roberts (WCAP) 5-2 Ryan Mango (WCAP) over Sam Jones (NYAC) 4-1 67 KG Benji Peak (Sunkist Kids) over Raymond Bunker (All-Marine) 9-0 Ellis Coleman (WCAP) over Xavier Johnson (All-Marine) 8-0 77 KG Jesse Porter (NYAC) over Pat Smith (Minnesota Storm) 5-3 Peyton Walsh (All-Marine) over Jacob Fisher (Curby 3 Style) 4-1 87 KG John Stefanowicz (All-Marine) over Alan Vera (NYAC) 6-3 Patrick Martinez (NYAC) over Jonathan Anderson (West Point WC) 8-0 97 KG Braxton Amos (Wisconsin RTC) over Lucas Sheridan (WCAP) 8-6 Nicholas Boykin (Sunkist Kids) over Dan Miller (All-Marine) 7-5 130 KG Adam Coon (NYAC/CKWC) over West Cathcart (NYAC-Illinois RTC) Fall 1:23 Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist Kids) over Jacob Mitchell (WCAP) MGR Challenge Tournament Finals 63 KG Ryan Mango (WCAP) over Leslie Fuenffinger (WCAP) 3-0 67 KG Ellis Coleman (WCAP) over Benji Peak (Sunkist Kids) 7-3 87 KG John Stefanowicz (All-Marine) over Patrick Martinez (NYAC) 6-3 97 KG Braxton Amos (Wisconsin RTC) over Nicholas Boykin (Sunkist Kids) 8-2 WFS Semifinal Results 50 KG Amy Fearnside (TMWC/USOPTC) over Whitney Conder (WCAP) 5:25 Victoria Anthony (ASU RTC/Sunkist Kids) over Alyssa Lampe (Beaver Dam RTC) 7-6 53 KG Katherine Shai (TMWC/NCWC) over Areana Villaescusa (WCAP) 2-1 Ronna Heaton (Sunkist Kids) over Dominique Parrish (Sunkist Kids) Fall 57 KG Alli Ragan (Sunkist Kids) over Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise WC) 9-2 Jenna Burkert (WCAP) over Cameron Guerin (Bearcat WC) 11-0 62 KG Maya Nelson (Sunkist Kids) over Jennifer Page (TMWC/NLWC) 6-1 Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids) over Mallory Velte (TMWC) 4-2 68 KG Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids) over Alara Boyd (Bearcat WC) 4-3 Kennedy Blades (Sunkist Kids) over Alex Glaude (TMWC/Bearcat WC) 5-0 76 KG Victoria Francis (TMWC) over Jackie Cataline (TMWC) 9-3 Kylie Welker (TMWC) over Dymond Guilford (TMWC/USOPTC) 8-0 WFS Challenge Tournament Finals 50 KG Victoria Anthony (ASU RTC/Sunkist Kids) over Amy Fearnside (TMWC/USOPTC) 11-0 53 KG Ronna Heaton (Sunkist Kids) over Katherine Shai (TMWC/NCWC) 57 KG Jenna Burkert (WCAP) fall Alli Ragan (Sunkist Kids) 2:12 62 KG Macey Kilty (Sunkist Kids) over Maya Nelson (Sunkist Kids) 5-0 68 KG Kennedy Blades (Sunkist Kids) over Forrest Molinari (Sunkist Kids) 11-1 76 KG Kylie Welker (TMWC) over Victoria Francis (TMWC) 6-3 MFS Semifinal Results 57 KG Thomas Gilman (TMWC/NLWC) over Joe Colon (TMWC/Cyclone RTC) 10-0 Vito Arujau (TMWC/Spartan Combat) over Daton Fix (TMWC/Cowboy RTC) 7-5 65 KG Jordan Oliver (Sunkist Kids) over Yianni Diakomihalis (TMWC/Spartan Combat) 4-4 Joey McKenna (TMWC) over Zain Retherford (TMWC/NLWC) 8-5 74 KG Kyle Dake (TMWC/Spartan Combat) over Evan Wick (TMWC) 11-0 Jason Nolf (TMWC/NLWC) over David Carr (Cyclone RTC) 10-0 86 KG David Taylor (TMWC/NLWC) over Gabe Dean (Spartan Combat) 4-0 Bo Nickal (TMWC/NLWC) over Zahid Valencia (Sunkist Kids) 12-5 97 KG Kollin Moore (TMWC/Ohio RTC) over Ty Walz (TMWC/SERTC) 6-2 Mike Macchiavello (TMWC/Wolfpack WC) over Hayden Zillmer (Gopher WC) 2-2 125 KG Nick Gwiazdowski (TMWC/Wolfpack) over Dom Bradley (Sunkist Kids) 6-0 Gable Steveson (Gopher WC) over Greg Kerkvliet (TMWC/NLWC) 11-0 MFS Challenge Tournament finals 74 KG Kyle Dake (TMWC/Spartan Combat) over Jason Nolf (TMWC/NLWC) 11-0 97 KG Kollin Moore (TMWC/Ohio RTC) over Mike Macchiavello (TMWC/Wolfpack WC) 10-0 Women's Freestyle Finals 50KG: Sarah Hildebrandt (New York AC) vs. Victoria Anthony (ASU RTC/Sunkist) 53KG: Jacarra Winchester (Titan Mercury) vs. Ronna Heaton (Sunkist) 57KG: Helen Maroulis (Sunkist) vs. Jenna Burkert (WCAP) 62KG: Kayla Miracle (Sunkist) vs. Macey Kilty (Sunkist) 68KG: Tamyra Mensah-Stock (Titan Mercury) vs. Kennedy Blades (Sunkist) 76KG: Adeline Gray (New York AC) vs. Kylie Welker (Titan Mercury) Men's Freestyle Finals 57KG: Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat) vs. Thomas Gilman (NLWC) 65KG: Joey McKenna (Penn RTC) vs. Jordan Oliver (Sunkist) 74KG: Jordan Burroughs (Sunkist) vs. Kyle Dake (Spartan Combat) 86KG: David Taylor (NLWC) vs. Bo Nickal (NLWC) 97KG: Kyle Snyder (NLWC) vs. Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC) 125KG: Nick Gwiazdowski (Wolfpack) vs. Gable Steveson (Gopher) Men's Greco-Roman Finals 60KG: Ildar Hafizov (WCAP) vs. Ryan Mango (WCAP) 67KG: Alex Sancho (WCAP) vs. Ellis Coleman (WCAP) 77KG: Jesse Porter (NYAC) vs. Peyton Walsh (All-Marine) 87KG: Joe Rau (TMWC) vs. John Stefanowicz (All-Marine) 97KG: G'Angelo Hancock (Sunkist) vs. Braxton Amos (Wisconsin RTC) 130KG: Adam Coon (NYAC/CKWC) vs. Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist)

(Photo/Mark Lundy; www.luttelens.com) Challenge Tournament Finals WFS Challenge Finals 50KG: Amy Fearnside (Titan Mercury) vs. Victoria Anthony (Sunkist) 53KG: Ronna Heaton (Sunkist) vs. Katherine Shai (Titan Mercury) 57KG: Jenna Burkert (WCAP) vs. Alli Ragan (Sunkist) 62KG: Maya Nelson (Sunkist) vs. Macey Kilty (Sunkist) 68KG: Forrest Molinari (Sunkist) vs. Kennedy Blades (Sunkist) 76KG: Kylie Welker (Titan Mercury) vs. Victoria Francis (Titan Mercury) MFS Challenge Finals 74KG: Jason Nolf (NLWC) vs. Kyle Dake (Spartan Combat) 97KG: Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC) vs. Mike Macchiavello (Wolfpack) GR Challenge Finals 60KG: Leslie Fuenffinger (WCAP) vs. Ryan Mango (WCAP) 67KG: Ellis Coleman (WCAP) vs. Benji Peak (Sunkist) 87KG: John Stefanowicz (Marines) vs. Patrick Martinez (NYAC) 97KG: Nick Boykin (Sunkist) vs. Braxton Amos (Wisc. RTC)

(Photo/Mark Lundy; www.luttelens.com) WFS Quarterfinal Results 50KG Whitney Conder (WCAP) tf. McKayla Campbell (Tiger), 12-0 Amy Fearnside (Titan Mercury) dec. Erin Golston (Wisc. RTC), 7-0 Victoria Anthony (Sunkist) tf. Emily Shilson (Titan Mercury), 10-0 Alyssa Lampe (Beaver Dam)f all. Aleida Martinez (Titan Mercury), 4:31 53KG Dominique Parrish (Sunkist) fall. Jaslynn Gallegos (Blue Chip), 1:48 Ronna Heaton (Sunkist) dec. Alex Hedrick (Titan Mercury), 4-0 Katherine Shai (Titan Mercury) tf. Alisha Howk (Sunkist), 10-0 Areana Villaescusa (WCAP) dec. Felicity Taylor (Bearcat), 6-2 57KG Jenna Burkert (WCAP) tf. Cheyenne Sisenstein (Tornado), 11-0 Cam Guerin (Bearcat) dec. Abby Nette (Sunkist), 11-8 Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise) dec. Bridgette Duty (Patriot), 15-12 Alli Ragan (Sunkist) fall. Lauren Liouve (NYAC), 1:57 62KG Maya Nelson (Sunkist) dec. Ana Luciano (Tornado), 10-4 Jennifer Page (NLWC) dec. Emma Bruntil (Bearcat), 5-2 Mallory Velte (Titan Mercury) dec. Julia Salata (NYAC), 7-3 Macey Kilty (Sunkist) tf. Desiree Zavala (Olympiad), 12-2 68KG Forrest Molinari (Sunkist) tf. Felicity Bryant (Lions), 10-0 Alara Boyd (Bearcat) dec. Ashlyn Ortega (NYAC), 5-2 Alex Glaude (Bearcat) dec. Sienna Ramirez (Legacy Elite), 5-1 Kennedy Blades (Sunkist) tf. Rachel Watters (NYAC), 10-0 76KG Dymond Guiliford (Titan Mercury) tf. Jordan Nelson (Life), 10-0 Kylie Welker (Titan Mercury) tf. Randi Beltz (WCAP), 14-4 Jackie Cataline (Titan Mercury) dec. Precious Bell (Titan Mercury), 11-10 Victoria Francis (Titan Mercury) tf. Nkechinyer Nwankwo (Rise), 14-4 MFS Quarterfinal Results 57KG Thomas Gilman, NLWC) tf. Zane Richards (Titan Mercury), 11-0 Joe Colon (Titan Mercury) dec. Seth Gross (Sunkist), 9-8 Vito Arujau (Spartan Combat) dec. Nathan Tomasello (Titan Mercury), 3-2 Daton Fix (Cowboy RTC) tf. Sean Russell (Gopher), 11-0 65KG Zain Retherford (NLWC) dec. Anthony Ashnault (Scarlet Knight), 3-2 Joey McKenna (Titan Mercury) tf. James Green (Titan Mercury), 12-1 Jordan Oliver (Sunkist) dec. Nick Lee (NLWC), 8-3 Yianni Diakomihalis (Spartan Combat) tf. Frank Molinaro (Sunkist), 10-0 74KG David Carr (Cyclone RTC) dec. Logan Massa (CKWC), 8-0 Chance Marsteller (Titan Mercury) dec. Vincenzo Joseph (NLWC), 3-3 Evan Wick (Titan Mercury) fall. Chance Marsteller (Titan Mercury), 1:15 86KG David Taylor (NLWC) tf. Brett Pfarr (Gopher), 11-0 Gabe Dean (Spartan Combat) dec. Myles Martin (NJRTC), 2-1 Bo Nickal (NLWC) tf. Pat Downey (Sanford), 13-3 Zahid Valencia (Sunkist) dec. Aaron Brooks (NLWC), 6-3 97KG Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC) tf. Braxton Amos (Wisc. RTC), 10-0 Ty Walz (Titan Mercury) dec. Kyven Gadsen (Cyclone RTC), 2-1 Mike Macchiavello (Wolfpack) dec. AJ Ferrari (Cowboy RTC), 3-1 Hayden Zillmer (Gopher) dec. Ben Honis (Penn RTC) 125KG Nick Gwiazdowski (Wolfpack) tf. Garrett Ryan (Sunkist), 11-0 Dom Bradley (Sunkist) dec. Tony Nelson (Gopher), 4-3 Greg Kerkvliet (NLWC) dec. Mason Parris (CKWC), 4-4 Gable Steveson (Gopher) dec. Tanner Hall (Sunkist) 11-0 GR Quarterfinal Results 60KG Leslie Fuenffinger (WCAP) tf. Randon Miranda (NYAC), 10-0 Dalton Roberts (WCAP) dec. Taylor Lamont (Sunkist), 5-0 Sammy Jones (NYAC) dq. (cautions) Max Nowry (WCAP) Ryan Mango (WCAP) dec. Travis Rice (Illinois RTC), 7-1 67KG Ellis Coleman (WCAP) dec. Alston Nutter (Sunkist), 6-0 Xavier Johnson (Marines) tf. Calvin Germinaro (Minn. Storm), 10-0 Benji Peak (Sunkist) tf. Jamel Johson (Marines), 8-0 Ray Bunker (Marines) tf. Michael Hooker (WCAP), 10-2 77KG Jake Fisher (Curby) dec. Austin Morrow (NYAC), 6-5 Peyton Walsh (Marines) tf. Ben Provisor (NYAC), 12-4 Pat Smith (Minn. Storm) dec. Mason Manville (NLWC), 2-1 Jesse Porter (NYAC) tf. RaVaughn Perkins (NYAC), 10-0 87KG Alan Vera (NYAC) tf. Christian Dulaney (Minn. Storm), 8-0 John Stefanowicz (Marines) dec. Barrett Stanghill (Minn. Storm), 9-3 Patrick Martinez (NYAC) dec. Terrance Zaleski (Marines), 4-0 John Anderson (West Point) dec. Spencer Woods (WCAP), 5-4 97KG Daniel Miller (Marines) tf. Diante Cooper (WCAP), 8-0 Nick Boykin (Sunkist) dec. Khymba Johnson (NYAC), 3-0 Braxton Amos (Wisc. RTC) fall. Eric Twohey (Minn. Storm), 1:59 Luke Sheridan (WCAP) dec. Jake Clark (Minn. Storm), 4-2 130KG Adam Coon (CKWC) tf. Tommy Helton (SI RTC), 8-0 West Cathcart (NYAC) dec. Toby Erickson (WCAP), 5-1 Jacob Mitchell (WCAP) dec. Tanner Farmer (NYAC), 6-2 Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist) dec. Donny Longendyke (Minn. Storm), 3-0 Semifinal Matchups - Begin a 6:30 PM CT WFS Semifinals 50KG Whitney Conder (WCAP) vs. Amy Fearnside (Titan Mercury) Victoria Anthony (Sunkist) vs. Alyssa Lampe (Beaver Dam) 53KG Dominique Parrish (Sunkist) vs. Ronna Heaton (Sunkist) Katherine Shai (Titan Mercury) vs. Areana Villaescusa (WCAP) 57KG Jenna Burkert (WCAP) vs.Cam Guerin (Bearcat) Xochitl Mota-Pettis (Rise) vs. Alli Ragan (Sunkist) 62KG Maya Nelson (Sunkist) vs. Jennifer Page (NLWC) Mallory Velte (Titan Mercury) vs. Macey Kilty (Sunkist) 68KG Forrest Molinari (Sunkist) vs. Alara Boyd (Bearcat) Kennedy Blades (Sunkist) vs. Alex Glaude (Bearcat) 76KG Dymond Guiliford (Titan Mercury) vs. Kylie Welker (TMWC) Jackie Cataline Titan Mercury) vs. Victoria Francis (Titan Mercury) MFS Semifinals 57KG Thomas Gilman (NLWC) vs. Joe Colon (TMWC) Vito Arujau (TMWC/Spartan Combat) vs. Daton Fix (TMWC/Cowboy RTC) 65KG Zain Retherford (NLWC) vs. Joey McKenna (TWMC/Penn RTC) Jordan Oliver (Sunkist Kids) vs. Yianni Diakomihalis (TMWC/Spartan Combat) 74KG Jason Nolf (NLWC) vs. David Carr (Cyclone RTC) Kyle Dake (Spartan Combat) vs. Evan Wick (Titan Mercury) 86KG David Taylor (NLWC) vs. Gabe Dean (Spartan Combat) Bo Nickal (NLWC) vs. Zahid Valencia (Sunkist) 97KG Kollin Moore (Ohio RTC) vs. Ty Walz (Titan Mercury) Mike Macchiavello (Wolfpack) vs. Hayden Zillmer (Gopher) 125KG Nick Gwiazdowski (Wolfpack) vs. Dom Bradley (Sunkist) Greg Kerkvliet (NLWC) vs. Gable Steveson (Gopher) GR Semifinals 60KG Leslie Fuenffinger (WCAP) vs. Dalton Roberts (WCAP) Sammy Jones (NYAC) vs. Ryan Mango (WCAP) 67KG Ellis Coleman (WCAP) vs. Xavier Johnson (Marines) Benji Peak (Sunkist) vs. Ray Bunker (Marines) 77KG Jake Fisher (Curby) vs. Peyton Walsh (Marines) Pat Smith (Minn. Storm) vs. Jesse Porter (NYAC) 87KG Alan Vera (NYAC) vs.John Stefanowicz (Marines) Patrick Martinez (NYAC) vs. John Anderson (West Point) 97KG Daniel Miller (Marines) vs. Nick Boykin (Sunkist) Braxton Amos (Wisc. RTC) vs. Luke Sheridan (WCAP) 130KG Adam Coon (CKWC) vs. West Cathcart (NYAC) Jacob Mitchell (WCAP) vs. Cohlton Schultz (Sunkist)

2016 Olympian Frank Molinaro (Photo/Mark Lundy; www.luttelens.com) Olympic Trials Prelim Round Results WFS Preliminaries 50KG McKayla Campbell (Tiger) fall. Aleeah Gould (Tornado), 4:35 Erin Golston (Wisc. RTC) tf. Angelina Gomez (Lion), 14-3 Amy Fearnside (Titan Mercury) tf. Estella Travino (Legacy Elite), 10-0 Victoria Anthony (Sunkist) tf. Charlotte Fowler (River Valley), 10-0 Emily Shilson (Titan Mercury) fall. Sage Mortimer (Titan Mercury), 2:51 Aleida Martinez (Titan Mercury) tf. Nina Pham (Olympiad), 12-2 53KG Jaslynn Gallegos (Blue Chip) tf. Peyton Prussian (Life), 10-0 Ronna Heaton (Sunkist) tf. Jasmine Hernandez (Scots), 10-0 Alisha Howk (Sunkist) tf. Marissa Gallegos (CO Mesa), 13-2 Felicity Taylor (Bearcat) dec. Melanie Mendoza (Tornado), 3-2 57KG Cam Guerin (Titan Mercury) tf. Amanda Hernandez (Cardinal), 11-0 Cheyenne Sisenstein (Tornado) dec. Brenda Reyna (Titan Mercury), 8-2 Bridgette Duty (Patriot) dec. Tiana Jackson (Menlo), 8-6 Lauren Liouve (NYAC) tf. Shauna Kemp (Titan Mercury), 12-2 62KG Ana Luciano (Tornado) dec. Michaela Beck (Sunkist), 3-2 Jennifer Page (NLWC) tf. Morgan Norris (Blue Chip), 11-0 Julia Salata (NYAC) tf. Zoe Nowicki (Bulldog), 12-0 Desiree Zavala (Olympiad) tf. Waipuilani Estrella-Beauc (Warrior), 12-2 76KG Jordan Nelson (Life) dec. Sidnee Kimber (Bearcat), 8-3 Yalena Makoyed (Cardinal) tf. Marlynee Deede (Twin Cities), 12-2 Kylie Welker (Titan Mercury) tf. Randi Beltz (WCAP), 14-4 Jackie Cataline (Titan Mercury) dec. Joey Levandusky (Bearcat), 3-0 Nkechinyer Nwankwo (Rise) fall. Mariah Harris (Johnstown), 1:09 MFS Preliminaries 57KG Zane Richards (Titan Mercury) tf. Zach Sanders (Gopher), 10-0 65KG Nick Lee (NLWC) tf. Mitch McKee (Gopher), 14-2 Anthony Ashnault (Scarlet Knight) dec. Nahshon Garrett (Titan Mercury), 8-2 Frank Molinaro (Sunkist) dec. Evan Henderson (NYAC), 10-1 86KG Bo Nickal (NLWC) dec. Carter Starocci (NLWC), 6-1 Brett Pfarr (Gopher) dec. Sammy Brooks (HWC), 9-3 Aaron Brooks (NLWC) dec. Nate Jackson (NJRTC), 3-0 125KG Jordan Wood (LVWC) Garrett Ryan (Sunkist) 1GR Quarterfinals 60KG Randon Miranda (NYAC) dec. Joey Palmer (Bear Cave), 3-1 67KG Alston Nutter (Sunkist) dec. Peyton Omania (NYAC), 12-9 Calvin Germinaro (Minn. Storm) tf. Colton Rasche (Marines), 10-0 Benji Peak (Sunkist) tf. Lenny Merkin (NYAC), 9-0 Michael Hooker (WCAP) tf. Nolan Baker (NYAC), 13-4 77KG Austin Morrow (NYAC), dec. Brandon Mueller (Space Force), 3-2 Jesse Porter (NYAC) dec. Corey Hope (NYAC), 6-0

Two-time World Champion J'Den Cox (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Before action gets underway at the Olympic Trials, we already have shocking news to report. Two-time world champion and 2016 Olympic bronze medalist J'Den Cox will not be competing in today's trials. Unnamed sources have told Intermat that Cox was struggling to make weight and finally did so after the allotted time. Afterwards, a committee met to discuss the issue and came to this decision. Cox is not currently listed in the brackets. The Des Moines Register's Cody Goodwin first reported Cox's status for the Trials and USA Wrestling has confirmed this as well.

The top-ranked 86 kg wrestler in the world David Taylor (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) 57 KG 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #1 Zavur Uguev over Nachyn Mongush 9-5 BRONZE: #2 Azamat Tuskaev over Uygulaan Ivanov 11-0 BRONZE: #6 Abubakr Mutaliev over Khuzuget Belek-ool 11-4 #1 Zavur Uguev was dominant on his way to his fourth Russian Nationals title match before being pushed to the brink by surprise finalist Nachyn Mongush who was able to score a four-point throw over the reigning two time world champion. Uguev would rally back with a five-point throw of his own to win the match 9-5. Mongush made the Russian Nationals finals off a stunning 2-1 upset win over returning national runner-up #2 Azamat Tuskaev in the semis. On Uguev's side of the bracket, he defeated 2019 Intercontinental Cup champion Abubakar Mutaliev, 2018 national runner-up Khuresh-Donduk-Ool and surprise semifinalist Belek-ool Khuzuget (RUS). Belek-ool Khuzuget notched two stunning wins over past Russian Nationals bronze medalists in #3 Akhmed Idrisov and Khasanhussein Badrudinov in his qualification and quarterfinal match respectively. Taking bronze at Russian Nationals was Abubakar Mutaliev by 11-4 decision over Belek-ool Khuzuget and #2 Azamat Tuskaev by 11-0 tech fall over Uygulaan Ivanov. Russian Nationals was the cause of an influx of new talent in the top-five and the reason for that is pretty simple. Tuskaev and Idrisov had separated themselves from the rest of the world at the weight and were right there with Uguev. Then they lose to Nachyn Mongush and Belek-Ool Khuzuget respectively and you have to justify that with putting Mongush in top five positions with Mongush at #2 and #5. Then you throw in 2019 Intercontinental Cup champ Abubakar Mutaliev at #4 for beating Khuzuget for bronze. So everything checks out. The European Olympic Qualifier saw 2020 57 KG Individual World Cup runner-up #20 Arsen Harutyunyan (ARM) and 2020 61 KG Individual World Cup bronze medalist Georgi Vangelov (BUL) qualify for Tokyo with semifinal wins over 2017 world bronze medalist Andrey Yatsenko (UKR) and Henri Deglane runner-up #16 Islam Bazarganov (AZE) respectively. In the finals, Harutyanyan beat Vangelov by an 8-3 score. Yatsenko won bronze by injury default over Beka Bujiashvili (GEO) and Bazarganov won by forfeit over Petru Cracuin (MDA). 2019 world fifth-place finisher Reza Atri (IRI) won Iranian trials by 6-4 decision over 2020 Individual World Cup bronze medalist Rahman Amouzad (IRI). Atri returns to the rankings at #12. #15 Nick Suriano (USA), #16 Islam Bazarganov (AZE), #17 Horst Lehr (GER), and #18 Afghan Khasalov (AZE) have been removed from the rankings due to the addition of Mongush (RUS), Mutaliev (RUS), Khuzuget (RUS), and Atri (IRI) who have better resumes than them. Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Zavur Uguev RUS 1 2 Azamat Tuskaev RUS 2 3 Akhmed Idrisov RUS 4 4 Rei Higuchi JPN 5 5 Reineri Andreu Ortega CUB 6 6 Ravi Kumar IND 8 7 Yuki Takahashi JPN 9 8 Nurislam Sanayev KAZ UR 9 Gulomjon Abdullaev UZB UR 10 Nodiryun Safarov UZB UR 11 Bekbolot Myrzanazar KGZ UR 12 Makhmudjon Shavkatov UZB UR 13 Taras Markovych UKR UR 14 Aryan Tyutrin BLR UR 15 Nick Suriano USA 11 16 Islam Bazarganov AZE 12 17 Horst Lehr GER 10 18 Afghan Khasalov AZE 15 19 Yuto Takeshita JPN 19 20 Arsen Harutyanyan ARM 20 61 KG 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #1 Abasgadzi Magomedov over #10 Muslim Mektikhanov 4-1 BRONZE: Aldar Balzhinimaev over Rustam Karakhanov 5-4 BRONZE: Cherman Tavitov over Nodar Arabidze 2-0 #1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov won his second consecutive national title with a 4-1 win over North Caucasus Federal District runner-up #10 Muslim Mekthikhanov. Bronze medalists at Russian Nationals were Aldar Balzhinimaev by 5-4 win over 2019 61 KG Intercontinental Cup runner-up Rustam Karakhanov and North Caucasus Federal District bronze medalist Cherman Tavitov by 2-0 decision over Nodar Arabidze. The man who made the most noise outside of Magomedov and Mekhtikhanov was 2020 Junior National champion Fedor Baltuev, who upset past Russian Nationals bronze medalist #9 Dinislam Takhtarov and #11 Zelimkhan Abakarov, before losing in the quarterfinals to 2016 Medved champion Nodar Arabidze, who fell in the semis to Cherman Tavitov. The rankings will make much more sense when it is understood who isn't in them and why, so first and foremost #2 Ramazan Ferzaliev (RUS) moved up to 65 KG where he got fifth at Russian Nationals and is ranked #16. #3 Alexander Bogomoev (RUS) got removed for inactivity after being out since last February where he won Euros. #5 Shamil Omarov (RUS) removed for inactivity, #6 Magomed Magomedov (RUS) moved up to 65 KG for Russian Nationals where he lost to #18 (65) Julian Gergenov (RUS). #7 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov (RUS) got removed for bumping up to 65 KG for Russian Nationals where he lost to #5 (65) Zagir Shakhiev (RUS) and #17 (65) Gadzhimurad Omarov (RUS). #19 Ramiz Gamzatov (RUS) moved back down to 57 KG for Russian Nationals where he lost to #3 (57) Azamat Tuskaev (RUS) 5-4 in the round of 16. So with six guys leaving and five of them being top-ten, there's going to be a lot of changes and guys debuting higher than they would normally. #10 Mektikhanov (RUS) makes a major leap in the rankings, moving up eight spots to #2 after his runner-up finish at Russian Nationals with wins over Tavitov (RUS) and Arabidze (RUS). Cherman Tavitov debuts in the rankings at #5 after taking bronze at Russian Nationals over Arabidze (RUS) who takes the #6 spot for his win over Fedor Baltuev (RUS). Baltuev checks in at #7 for beating #9 Dinislam Takhtarov and #11 Zelimkhan Abakarov. Filling out the rest of the top 10 are #8 Takhtarov (RUS) and #9 Abakarov (RUS) with Matteo Pellicone champion #12 Adlan Askarov (KAZ) moving up two spots to take the #10 position. Aldar Balzhinimaev (RUS) debuts in the rankings at #14 for beating Rustam Karakhanov (RUS) for bronze at Russian Nationals. Karakhanov (RUS) takes the #15 spot with a fifth-place finish at Russian Nationals where he tech falled 2020 U-23 Russian Nationals champion Alexander Sabanov (RUS) who sits at the #16 spot. Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Abasgadzhi Magomedov RUS 1 2 Ramazan Ferzaliev RUS 2 3 Alexander Bogomoev RUS 3 4 Beka Lomtadze GEO 4 5 Shamil Omarov RUS 5 6 Magomed Magomedov RUS 6 7 Ibragim Abdurakhmanov RUS 7 8 Akhmednabi Gvarzatilov AZE 8 9 Dinislam Takhtarov RUS UR 10 Muslim Mekhtikhanov RUS UR 11 Zelimkhan Abakarov RUS UR 12 Adlan Askarov KAZ UR 13 Suleyman Atli TUR 3(57) 14 Majid Dastan IRI 10 15 Muhammad Ikromov TJK 13 16 Artem Gebek RUS 15 17 Andrii Dzhelep UKR UR 18 Ravinder Ravinder IND 17 19 Ramiz Gamzatov RUS 18 20 Arman Eloyan FRA UR 65 KG 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #5 Gadzhimurad Rashidov over #9 Zagir Shakhiev 5-3 BRONZE: #4 (70) Kurban Shiraev over Gadzhimurad Omarov 3-0 BRONZE: Abdulmazhid Kudiev over #2 (61) Ramazan Ferzaliev 10-0 #5 Gadzhimurad Rashidov (RUS) returned from a serious knee injury in December to win his fourth Russian Nationals title and take back over the #1 spot with a 5-3 victory over returning bronze medalist #9 Zagir Shakhiev (RUS) 5-3. Finishing bronze at Russian Nationals was returning 70 KG bronze medalist #4 (70) Kurban Shiraev (RUS) over Gadzhimurad Omarov (RUS) 3-0 and Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS) over #2 (61) Ramazan Ferzaliev (RUS). Russian Nationals saw an influx of talent from 61 KG and 70 KG with #7 (61) Ibragim Abdurakhmanov (RUS), #6 Magomed Magomedov (RUS), #2 (61) Ramazan Ferzaliev (RUS) and #9 (70) Alan Gogaev (RUS) all competing. The best finisher was Ferzaliev (RUS) who took 5th with wins over #12 Islam Dudaev (RUS) and #17 Dasha Sharastepanov (RUS) and losses to Rashidov (RUS) and Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS). There was an absolutely ridiculous amount of shake-up from Russian Nationals. #1 David Baev (RUS) was upset in the round of 16 by #14 Murshid Mutalimov (RUS) 8-2 and drops seven spots in the rankings to #8. #9 Zagir Shakhiev (RUS) moves up four spots to #5 for making the finals with wins over Shiraev (RUS), Abdurakhmanov (RUS), Omarov (RUS), and Julian Gergenov (RUS). Shiraev beat #8 Akhmed Chakaev (RUS) 6-3 in the quarterfinals after Chakaev had beaten #7 Naachyn Kuular (RUS) 5-1 in the round of 16. Shiraev returns to the 65 KG rankings at #9 while Chakaev and Kuular drop to #10 and #11. The reason for this is that Kurban Shiraev lost in January to #8 David Baev (RUS) up at 70 KG at the inaugural Russian Pro League. 2020 U-23 Russian Nationals runner-up Kudiev (RUS) makes a huge debut in the rankings at #6 for beating #14 Murshid Mutalimov (RUS) and Ferzaliev (RUS) to take bronze. Mutalimov (RUS) moves up seven spots in the rankings to #7 for beating previous number-one Baev (RUS) in the round of 16 of Russian Nationals. Ferzaliev (RUS) returns to the 65 KG rankings at #17 for beating Dudaev (RUS) and Sharastepanov (RUS) at Russian Nationals. Gadzhimurad Omarov (RUS) takes the #18 spot for beating past Russian Nationals bronze medalists Abdurakhmanov (RUS) and Gergenov (RUS) to make the 5th place match. 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Gergenov (RUS) slots in at #19 for beating #6 (61) Magomed Magomedov (RUS) and #9 (70) Alan Gogaev to make the quarterfinals where he lost to #5 Zagir Shakhiev (RUS). Dudaev (RUS) drops eight spots in the rankings for his loss to Ferzaliev (RUS). The European Olympic Qualifier saw 2020 Individual World Cup champion #2 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM) make a major statement with wins over three past World/Olympic bronze medalists in #2 (70) Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL), #4 Haji Aliyev (AZE), and Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO). Bronze medalists at the event were Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO) by injury default over #2 (70) Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL) and Selehattin Killicsallyan (TUR) 5-3 over Maxim Sacultan (MDA). Tevanyan holds down the #2 spot for his performance while #2 (70) Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL) takes the #13 spot in the rankings upon his return. The major non European/non Russian shake up was #6 Bajrang Punia (IND) dropping ten spots in the rankings to #16 and this is because of his losses to #14 Zain Retherford (USA), #15 Yianni Diakomihalis (USA) and Daulet Niyazbekov (KAZ) which in 2020 weren't as bad because there wasn't a huge influx of highly active Russians and Euro guys beating each other and building better resumes than him. Now that it's 2021 it isn't the case and it's been two years since Bajrang has been on a big tear. Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 David Baev RUS 4(70) 2 Vazgen Tevanyan ARM 1 3 Ismail Musukaev HUN 2 4 Haji Aliev AZE 4 5 Gadzhimurad Rashidov RUS 5 6 Bajrang Punia IND 6 7 Naachyn Kuular RUS 7 8 Akhmed Chakaev RUS 8 9 Zagir Shakhiev RUS 9 10 Zain Retherford USA 11 11 Yianni Diakomihalis USA 12 12 Islam Dudaev RUS UR 13 Artur Badtiev RUS 13 14 Murshid Mutalimov RUS 14 15 Alejandro Valdes Tobier CUB 10 16 Ali Rahimzade AZE 15 17 Dasha Sharastepanov RUS 16 18 James Green USA 17 19 Ernazar Akhmataliev KGZ UR 20 Turan Bayramov AZE 18 70 KG 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #18 (74) Israil Kasumov over Evgheni Zherbaev 6-3 BRONZE: #3 Cherman Valiev over #14 Viktor Rassadin 7-6 BRONZE: Abdulla Akhmedov over #18 Anzor Zakuev In his fourth Russian Nationals finals appearance, three-time runner-up #18 (74) Israil Kasumov (RUS) was finally able to bring home gold with a 6-3 win over two time Russian Nationals bronze medalist Evgheni Zherbaev (RUS). Kasumov's win over Zherbaev avenges two past losses to the Buryatian stalwart at the 2016 Korkin and at in the bronze medal match of the 2019 Russian Nationals. Taking bronze at Russian Nationals was #3 Cherman Valiev (RUS) by 7-6 decision over #14 Viktor Rassadin (RUS) and 2017 61 KG Junior world champion Abdulla Akhmedov (RUS) by 12-1 tech over #18 Anzor Zakuev (RUS). The big story of of the event was the comeback of consensus top-five talent Evgheni Zherbaev after a disappointing run up at 74 KG at the Oleg Dukanov Memorial where he was tech falled by 2017 Russian National runner-up Magomed Dibirgadzhiev (RUS). Zherbaev was absolutely electric throughout the tournament, beating the likes of Valiev (RUS), #6 Aznaur Tavaev (RUS) and Rassadin (RUS) on his way to the finals. Migration was a major factor in this month's rankings as well as #2 Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL), #9 Alan Gogaev (RUS), and #20 Alec Pantaleo (USA) all moved weights with Gadzhiev and Gogaev cutting down to 65 KG and Pantaleo moving up to 74 KG to qualify for the Olympic trials where he lost in the semifinals of the Last Chance Qualifier to Chance Marsteller. Israil Kasumov (RUS) takes the #1 spot in the rankings after winning Russian Nationals over #2 Zherbaev (RUS). Rassadin (RUS) makes a major jump in the rankings, moving up seven spots to #7 after his win in the consolation bracket of Russian Nationals over #6 Aznaur Tavaev (RUS) who now sits at #8. 2016 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Ildous Giniyatullin (RUS) and 2018 Russian Nationals runner-up Arpak Sat (RUS) take the final spots in the rankings at #19 and #20. Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Ilyas Bekbulatov UZB 1 2 Magomedmurad Gadzhiev POL 2 3 Cherman Valiev RUS 3 4 Kurban Shiraev RUS 5 5 Heydar Yavuz TUR 6 6 Aznaur Tavaev RUS UR 7 Ramazan Ramazanov BUL 7 8 Inalbek Sheriev RUS 9 9 Alan Gogaev RUS 10 10 Ayatulla Barkakadiev RUS 11 11 Oleksii Boruta UKR UR 12 Servet Coskun TUR 12 13 Mirza Skhulukhia GEO 13 14 Viktor Rassadin RUS 14 15 Zurab Iakobishvili GEO 16 16 Gitinomagomed Gadzhiev AZE 18 17 Islambek Orozbekov KGZ 17 18 Anzor Zakuev RUS 20 19 Yuri Arakelyan RUS UR 20 Alec Pantaleo USA UR 74 KG 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #3 Zaurbek Sidakov over #1 Razambek Zhamalov 2-2 BRONZE: #7 Magomed Kurbanaliev over #8 Timur Bizhoev 1-1 BRONZE: #9 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov over #19 Magomed Dibirgadzhiev 4-2 . In the biggest match of the month, two-time world champion #2 Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS) was able to score two late pushouts to win over reigning national champion #1 Razambek Zhamalov (RUS) to win his third Russian National title. Zhamalov (RUS) was able to notch a big win over #9 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov (RUS) in the semifinals after three past losses to the two time 70 KG world champion. Sidakov (RUS) was able to make the finals off close wins over past medalists #7 Magomed Kurbanaliev (RUS) and #8 Timur Bizhoev (RUS). The other key results were Bizhoev (RUS) over Oleg Dukanov memorial runner-up #13 Magomed Abdulkadyrov (RUS) in the qualification round and and Gazimagomedov's 4-2 win over 2x U-23 European champion #12 Nikita Suchkov (RUS) in the round of 16. From Russian Nationals, Sidakov (RUS) regains the #1 spot in the rankings and Zhamalov (RUS) falls one spot to #2. There was a lot of turmoil on the backside of the rankings from the European Olympic Qualifier. This shifting was caused by 2020 Dan Kolov champion Alipasha Umarpashaev (BUL) who upset #11 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov (BLR) and 2019 79 KG world bronze medalist Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK) before taking 5th with losses to #10 Avtandil Kentchadze (GEO) and Giorgios Kougiomtsidis (GRE). The other important results from there were #Kadimagomedov (BLR) beating two time World/Olympic bronze medalist #17 Soner Demirtas (TUR) 8-7 in the round of 16 and Khadzhimurad Gadzhiev (AZE) beating Murad Kuramagomedov (HUN) and Maxim Vasilioglu (ROU). Winning the European Olympic Qualifier was Kentchadze (GEO) by injury default over Gadzhiev (AZE). Bronze medalists were Vasilioglu (ROU) 4-2 over Kuramagomedov (HUN) and Kougiomtsidis (GRE) 8-6 over Alipasha Umarpashaev (BUL). From the results of the European Olympic Qualifier, runner-up Gadzhiev (AZE) rejoins the rankings at #14, Kougiomtsidis (GRE) debuts in the rankings at #15 for his win over Umarpashaev (BUL) for bronze. Umarpashaev (BUL) returns to the rankings at #16 for his wins over #Kadimagomedov (BLR) and Taimuraz Salkazanov (SVK). Kadimagomedov (BLR) drops six spots to #17 and Demirtas (TUR) drops three spots to #20. Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Razambek Zhamalov RUS 1 2 Khetik Tsabolov SRB 2 3 Zaurbek Sidakov RUS 3 4 Kyle Dake USA 5 5 Frank Chamizo ITA 6 6 Jordan Burroughs USA 4 7 Magomed Kurbanaliev RUS 7 8 Timur Bizhoev RUS 8 9 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov RUS 9 10 Avtandil Kentchadze GEO 10 11 Magomedkhabib Kadimagomedov BLR 11 12 Nikita Suchkov RUS 12 13 Magomed Abdulkadyrov RUS 13 14 Kakhaber Khubezhty RUS 14 15 Fazli Eryilmaz TUR 15 16 Mohammadsadegh Firouzpourbandpei IRI UR 17 Soner Demirtas TUR 16 18 Israil Kasumov RUS 17 19 Magomed Dibirgadzhiev RUS 18 20 Azamat Nurikov BLR 19 79 KG 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: Malik Shavaev over #1 Akhmed Usmanov 6-4 BRONZE: #5 Radik Valiev over #2 Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev 6-5 BRONZE: Gadzhi Nabiev over #10 Amkhad Tashukhadzhiev Malik Shavaev (RUS) made an absolutely exceptional run through a loaded Russian Nationals field that culminated with a powerful 6-4 win over top ranked returning champion #1 Akhmed Usmanov (RUS) to take gold. With his wins over Usmanov (RUS), #2 Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev (RUS), #5 Radik Valiev (RUS), and #15 Ernak Kardanov (RUS) Shavaev more than earns his spot at the top of the rankings. Valiev (RUS) had an notable tournament of his own, claiming bronze avenging his loss from the 2020 Yarygin bronze medal match to 2020 U-23 national champion Khalid Yakhiev (RUS) and beating 2019 Alans champion Khalil Aminov (RUS) to make the semifinals where he lost a heartbreaking 8-6 match to #Shavaev (RUS). Valiev rebounded with a clutch 6-5 win over returning national runner-up Alikhmaev (RUS). Much of Russian Nationals was about the return of established talents after having moved up to 86 KG. This was the case for Khalil Aminov, Magomed Magomaev, Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov, Gadzhi Nabiev and Khalid Yakhiev. From their 86 KG competition this year, Nabiev won the Dagestani freestyle wrestling championships over Aminov while returning Russian Nationals bronze medalist Gadzhimagomedov won bronze over 2020 Junior Russian Nationals champion Magomaev while 2020 Yarygin bronze medalist Khalid Yakhiev competed at the North Caucasus Federal District tournament where he failed to place. This return of established talent coupled with a slew of upsets made for a very volatile month so we'll start with how the established 79 KG guys did against each other. Aminov (RUS) avenged his loss from last year to #3 Evgeni Lapshov (RUS) with an 8-0 win in the round of 16 but then fell 4-2 to Valiev (RUS) in the quarters. Returning bronze medalist Nabiev (RUS) beat fellow 2020 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) 6-3 in the quarters and rebounded from a 6-2 semifinal loss to Usmanov (RUS) to win 6-1 over #10 Amkhad Tashukhadzhiev (RUS) for bronze. 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Yakhiev (RUS) made the round of 16 where he lost 8-6 in a rematch of the 2020 Yarygin bronze medal match to Valiev (RUS). 2020 Junior Russian National champion Magomed Magomaev was knocked off by #15 Ernak Kardanov (RUS) 3-2 in the round of 32, So for the established 79 KG guys like Nabiev, Aminov, Yakhiev, Gadzhimagomedov and Magomaev are back in the rankings at #3, #5, #10, #13, and #14. #15 Ernak Kardanov moves up three spots to #12 for his win over #13 Magomed Magomaev (RUS). #10 Amkhad Tashukhadzhiev (RUS) drops five spots in the rankings to #15 with the return of #13 Magomed Magomaev, who he lost to at 2020 Junior Russian Nationals and his losses to Usmanov (RUS) and Nabiev (RUS). #4 Atsamaz Sanakoev (RUS) falls three spots in the rankings to #7 after his 6-2 opening round loss to #2 Gadzhimurad Alikhamev (RUS). Alikhmaev drops four spots in the rankings to #6 after his losses to #1 Shavaev (RUS) and #4 Valiev (RUS). The other big result from Russian Nationals was Abdulla Tsatsaev (RUS) upsetting #6 Dmitri Zainiidinov (RUS) 6-3 in the round of 32 before he was beat in the round of 16 by #10 Amanulla Gadzhimagomedov (RUS). A notable absence from the rankings is #8 Tazhidin Akaev (RUS) and that is because he moved up to 86 KG where he lost to #8 (86) Vladislav Valiev (RUS) at Russian Nationals. Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Akhmed Usmanov RUS 1 2 Gadzhimurad Alikhmaev RUS 2 3 Evgeni Lapshov RUS 3 4 Atsamaz Sanakoev RUS 4 5 Radik Valiev RUS UR 6 Dmitrii Zainiidinov RUS 5 7 Nika Kentchadze GEO 8 8 Tazhidin Akaev RUS 6 9 Bekzod Abdurakhmanov UZB UR 10 Akhmad Tashukhadzhiev RUS 9 11 Galymzhan Usserbaev KAZ UR 12 Muhammet Nuri Kotonagolu TUR 10 13 Vasyl Mykhailov UKR 11 14 Rashid Kurbanov UZB 13 15 Ernak Kardanov RUS 14 16 Ali Savadkouhi IRI 15 17 Hamidreza Zarinpeykar IRI 16 18 Magomedmurad Dadaev RUS 17 19 David McFadden USA UR 20 Marik Shebzukhov RUS 18 86 KG 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #4 Artur Naifonov over #3 Dauren Kurugliev 2-1 BRONZE: #14 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov over Zaur Makiev 5-1 BRONZE: #5 Magomed Ramazanov over Khabi Khashpakov 4-1 #4 Artur Naifonov (RUS) won his second Russian National title with a 2-1 win over returning two-time national champion #3 Dauren Kurugliev (RUS). #5 Magomed Ramazanov (RUS) took bronze with a 4-1 win over Khabi Khashpakov (RUS) as did #14 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) with a 5-1 win over 2014 74 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Zaur Makiev (RUS). The other major results from Russian nationals was 2020 Yarygin bronze medalist #19 (92) Magomedsharif Biyakaev (RUS) upsetting returning bronze medalist #13 Arsenali Musalaliev (RUS) and 2019 Ali Aliev bronze medalist Khabib Gadzhiev (RUS) to make the quarters where he lost to 4-1 to #14 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) and #5 Magomed Ramazanov (RUS) beating 2017 world bronze medalist #14 (92) Vladislav Valiev (RUS) 6-2 in the quarters before dropping a 9-8 semi to Naifonov (RUS). The fallout from Russian Nationals is that (RUS) moves up to #3 while #3 Dauren Kurugliev (RUS) falls to #4. Gadzhimagomedov (RUS) moves up seven spots to #7 after finishing bronze at Russian Nationals with his win over Biyakaev (RUS) in the quarters. Biyakaev is in at the #10 in the rankings for his opening round win at Russian Nationals over returning bronze medalist #13 Arsenali Musalaliev (RUS). 2019 national runner-up Valiev (RUS) makes his return to the 86 KG rankings at #8. Valiev notched a strong win at Russian Nationals over #8 (79) Tazhidin Akaev (RUS) in the round of 16. The European Olympic Qualifier saw 4x world bronze medalist Ali Shabanov (BLR) and 2020 Individual World Cup bronze medalist #15 Osman Gocen (TUR) qualify for Tokyo by making the finals. In the finals, Shabanov won 7-0 over Gocen. Taking bronze was #8 Piotr Ianulov (MDA) over Akhmed Magamaev (BUL) 4-4 and #9 Boris Makoev (SVK) 7-5 over Abubakar Abakarov (AZE). Notable upsets from the event where Ali Shabanov (BLR) over Ianulov (MDA), Sandro Aminashvili (GEO) over #6 Sebastian Jezierzanski (POL) and Gocen (TUR) over Makoev (SVK). From the European Olympic Qualifier, Ali Shabanov is back in the rankings at #9, Sandro Aminashvili (GEO) is in the rankings at #15 for his win over # Jezierzanski (POL) who falls ten spots in the rankings to #16. #9 Boris Makoev (SVK) drops five spots in the rankings to #14 ahead of #15 Sandro Aminashvili (GEO) who he beat in the quarterfinals of the European Olympic Qualifier. #7 Javrail Shapiev (UZB) drops ten spots to #17 due to the fall of Jezierzanski (POL) to #16 who he lost to in February at the International Ukrainian tournament. #12 Myles Amine (SMR) has been removed due to inactivity since he has not competed since February 2020 where he was a runner-up at the European championships. #2 (92) Kamran Ghasempour (IRI) cut down to 86 KG for Iranian trials where he lost to #2 Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI). Ghasempour, a 2018 International Ukrainain Tournament champion and U-23 world champion at 86 KG, returns to the rankings at #6. Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 David Taylor USA 1 2 Hassan Yazdani Charati IRI 2 3 Dauren Kurugliev RUS 3 4 Artur Naifonov RUS 4 5 Magomed Ramazanov RUS 5 6 Sebastian Jezierzanski POL 20 7 Javrail Shapiev UZB UR 8 Piotr Ianulov MDA 7 9 Boris Makoev SVK 8 10 Zahid Valencia USA 9 11 Fatih Erdin TUR 10 12 Myles Amine SMR 11 13 Arsenali Musalaliev RUS 14 14 Akhmed Gadzhimagomedov RUS 15 15 Osman Gocen TUR 16 16 Bo Nickal USA 12 17 Dato Marsagishvili GEO 13 18 Akhmed Magamaev BUL UR 19 Gabe Dean USA UR 20 Akhsarbek Gulaev SVK 12(79) 92 KG 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #3 Magomed Kurbanov over #7 Anzor Urishev by forfeit BRONZE: #9 Soslan Ktsoev over #12 Guram Chertkoev 11-1 BRONZE: #14 Azamat Zakuev over Zelimkhan Minkailov 1-1 #1 Alikhan Zhabrailov (RUS) moved up to 97 KG where he won Russian Nationals. #2 Kamran Ghasempour (IRI) moved down to 86 KG where he lost at Iranian Trials to #2 (86) Hassan Yazdani Charati (IRI). Two-time national runner-up #3 Magomed Kurbanov (RUS) won Russian Nationals by forfeit over #7 Anzor Urishev (RUS). He beat #9 Soslan Ktsoev (RUS) and #14 Guram Chertkoev (RUS) to make the finals while Urishev beat Azamat Zakuev (RUS) and 2018 86 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Zelimkhan Minkailov (RUS). Zhabrailov and Ghasempour left the top 5 so that means #6 Zbigniew Baranowski (POL) and #7 Anzor Urishev (RUS) take the #4 and #5 spots. 2019 Junior world champion Alan Bagaev (RUS), 2018 Russian Nationals 86 KG bronze medalist Zelimkhan Minkailov (RUS) and Russian Nationals bronze medalist Azamat Zakuev (RUS) are the new additions to the rankings at #16, #18, and #14. Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Alikhan Zhabrailov RUS 1 2 Kamran Ghasempour IRI 2 3 Magomed Kurbanov RUS 3 4 Batyrbek Tsakulov RUS 4 5 Aslanbek Alborov AZE 6 6 Zbigniew Baranowski POL 7 7 Anzor Urishev RUS 8 8 Irakli Mtsituri GEO 10 9 Soslan Ktsoev RUS UR 10 Georgi Rubaev MDA 11 11 Selim Yasar TUR UR 12 Erhan Yaylaci TUR 12 13 Radik Nartikoev RUS 13 14 Guram Chertkoev RUS 14 15 Vladislav Valiev RUS 6(86) 16 Amarhadzhi Mahamadeu BLR UR 17 Osman Nurmagomedov AZE 9 18 Zagir Karimov RUS 17 19 Magomedsharif Biikaev RUS 18 20 Gadzhi Radzhabov BLR 19 97 KG 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: #1 (92) Alikhan Zhabrailov over #17 Aslanbek Sotiev 5-0 BRONZE: Khokh Khugaev over Georgi Gogaev by pin BRONZE: Znaur Kotsiev over Tazhudin Mukhtarov 3-0 Reigning two-time 92 KG national champion, 2019 world bronze medalist #1 (92) Alikhan Zhabrailov (RUS) moved up to 97 KG and won Russian Nationals handedly beating returning national runner-up #17 Aslanbek Sotiev (RUS) 5-0 in the finals. Khokh Khugaev (RUS) won bronze over 2019 bronze medalist Georgi Gogaev (RUS) by pin and Znaur Kotsiev (RUS) beat 2018 Intercontinental Cup runner-up 3-0 for bronze. Zhabrailov is in the rankings at #13 while Khokh Khugaev debuts in the rankings at #20 for beating 2019 national runner-up #19 Igor Ovsyannikov (RUS) 2-1 in the quarterfinals. The European Olympic Qualifier saw #8 Aleksandr Hushtyn (BLR) and #3 Suleyman Karadeniz (TUR) punch their tickets to Rio by making the finals. In the finals, Hushtyn upset the 2020 Individual World Cup bronze medalist Karadeniz in a 4-3 win. Taking bronze was Erik Thiele (GER) over #14 Albert Saritov (ROU) and Abraham Conyedo Ruano (ITA) over Akhmed Bataev (BUL) 3-0. From the results of the European Olympic Qualifier, #8 Aleksandr Hushtyn (BLR) moves up four spots to #4, #3 Suleyman Karadeniz (TUR) drops two spots to #5, and Erik Thiele (GER) debuts in the rankings at #15. Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev RUS 1 2 J'den Cox USA 2 3 Suleyman Karadeniz TUR 9 4 Kyle Snyder USA 6 5 Elizbar Odikadze GEO 3 6 Ali Khalil Shahbanibengar IRI 4 7 Mohammad Mohammadian IRI 5 8 Aleksandr Hushtyn BLR 8 9 Kollin Moore USA UR 10 Alireza Karimimachiani IRI UR 11 Givi Matcharashvili GEO 10 12 Sharif Sharifov AZE 11 13 Valerii Andriitsev UKR UR 14 Albert Saritov ROU 12 15 Magomed Ibragimov UZB 13 16 Reineris Salas Perez CUB 14 17 Aslanbek Sotiev RUS 15 18 Mojitaba Goleij IRI 16 19 Igor Ovsyannikov RUS 17 20 Magomedkhan Magomedov RUS 18 125 KG 2021 Russian Nationals Results GOLD: Sergey Kozyrev over Atsamaz Tebloev 3-3 BRONZE: #6 Anzor Khizriev over Zelimkhan Khizriev by forfeit BRONZE: #8 Baldan Tsyzhipov over Saypudin Magomedov by pin #10 Dzianis Khramiankov (BLR) and Gennadij Cudinovic (GER) qualified for the Olympics by making the finals of the European Olympic Qualifier. Khramiankov did so by upsetting #2 Shamil Sharipov (RUS) 4-4 in the semis, Cudinovic by beating Jamaladdin Magomedov (AZE) 15-6. Khramiankov moves up six spots to #4 while #Sharipov (RUS) falls four spots to #6. Taking bronze at the European Olympic Qualifier was #4 Shamil Sharipov (AZE) by 8-0 decision over Johannes Ludescher (AUT) and Magomedov (AZE) by 11-0 tech over Paris Karepi (ALB). Russian Nationals saw 2018 110 KG Cadet world bronze medalist Sergey Kozyrev (RUS) take out two-time semifinalist Atsamaz Tebloev (RUS) 3-3 in the finals. Kozyrev took out #6 Anzor Khizriev (RUS) and his brother 2019 Russian Nationals bronze medalist Zelimkhan Khizriev (RUS) to make the finals. Tebloev made the finals by way of wins over Khamzat Khizriev, 2019 Junior European champion Saypudin Magomedov (RUS) and 2020 European bronze medalist #8 Baldan Tsyzhipov (RUS). #7 Batraz Gazzaev (RUS) was upset again in his opening round match like last year's qualification round loss to #18 Tamerlan Rasuev (RUS), this time in the form of a 5-4 loss to North Caucasus Federal District champ Kazbek Khubulov (RUS). Zelimkhan Khizriev (RUS) beat Khubulov the very next round. Other important results from Russian Nationals were 2019 national runner-up Said Gamidov (RUS) beating 2019 97 KG national champion Vladislav Baitsaev (RUS) 7-0 in the qualification round and 2019 Junior European champion Saypudin Magomedov (RUS) upsetting returning bronze medalist #18 Vitali Goloev (RUS) 15-10 in the round of 16. Zelimkhan Khizriev takes the #10 spot for his win over Kazbek Khubulov who slots in at #11 for his win over former #7 Batraz Gazzaev (RUS) who is now ranked 11th. National runner-up Atsamaz Tebloev (RUS) takes the #9 spot for his win over #8 Baldan Tsyzhipov (RUS) who now sits at #13. Saypudin Magomedov (RUS) takes the #19 spot for beating #18 Vitali Goloev (RUS) and 2019 Russian Nationals runner-up Gamidov (RUS) rounds out the rankings at #20 for his win over 2019 97 KG Russian Nationals champion Baitsaev (RUS). Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Geno Petriashvili GEO 1 2 Shamil Sharipov RUS 2 3 Alan Khugaev RUS 3 4 Amin Taheri IRI 4 5 Amir Zare IRI 5 6 Anzor Khizriev RUS 6 7 Batras Gazzaev RUS 7 8 Baldan Tszyhipov RUS 8 9 Robert Baran POL 11 10 Dzianis Khramiankov BLR 9 11 Kamil Kosciolek POL UR 12 Oleksandr Khotsianivski UKR 10 13 Yusup Batirmurzaev KAZ 14 14 Parviz Hadi IRI 15 15 Yadollah Mohebbi IRI 16 16 Aiaal Lazarev KGZ 17 17 Vitali Goloev RUS 18 18 Tamerlan Rasuev RUS 19 19 Amarveer Dhesi CAN UR 20 Tony Nelson USA UR Pound for Pound #4 Zaurbek Sidakov (RUS) retakes the #1 pound-for-pound spot after winning 74 KG Russian Nationals over #3 Razambek Zhamalov (RUS). There's an argument for Sadulaev or Uguev to take the #1 spot, but I favor the depth of 74 KG over being more dominant in comparatively more shallow weight classes like 97 and 57. No changes in the rest of the top 15. #23 Vazgen Tevanyan (ARM) moves up six spots to #17 after his dominant run at the European Olympic Qualifier where he beat three World/Olympic medalists in #4 (65) Haji Aliyev (AZE), #13 (65) Magomedmurad Gadzhiev (POL), and Vladimir Khinchegashvili (GEO). Israil Kasumov (RUS) and Evgheni Zherbaev (RUS) are back in the rankings at #18 and #19 after finishing gold and silver at 70 KG Russian Nationals respectively. 65 KG Russian Nationals bronze medalist Abdulmazhid Kudiev (RUS) is in at #24 for beating two time 61 KG national runner-up Ramazan Ferzaliev (RUS) and Murshid Mutalimov (RUS) to get bronze. #19 David Baev (RUS) is out of the rankings due to his round of 16 loss at Russian Nationals at 65 KG to Murshid Mutalimov (RUS). 57 KG Russian Nationals runner-up Nachyn Mongush (RUS) rounds out the rankings at #25 for his Russian Nationals semifinals win over #22 Azamat Tuskaev (RUS). Rank Name Country Past Ranking 1 Abdulrashid Sadulaev RUS 1 2 Zavur Uguev RUS 2 3 Razambek Zhamalov RUS 3 4 Zaurbek Sidakov RUS 4 5 Gadzhimurad Rashidov RUS 5 6 Khetik Tsabolov SRB 6 7 Geno Petriashvili GEO 7 8 J'den Cox USA 8 9 David Taylor USA 9 10 Hassan Yazdani Charati IRI 10 11 Kyle Dake USA 12 12 Frank Chamizo ITA 13 13 Jordan Burroughs USA 11 14 Timur Bizhoev RUS 14 15 Magomedrasul Gazimagomedov RUS 15 16 Ilyas Bekbulatov UZB 16 17 Magomedmurad Gadzhiev POL 17 18 Cherman Valiev RUS 18 19 David Baev RUS 19 20 Magomed Kurbanaliev RUS 20 21 Abasgadzhi Magomedov RUS 21 22 Azamat Tuskaev RUS 22 23 Vazgen Tevanyan ARM 23 24 Ismail Musukaev HUN 24 25 Akhmed Usmanov RUS UR

Iowa Hawkeyes All-American Jaydin Eierman (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Welcome to the new Intermat. I officially took the reins yesterday - a hectic time to be undergoing a big transition - on the heels of NCAA's and just ahead of the much anticipated Olympic Trials. I'm hoping it's smooth sailing, but there's undoubtedly much I'm not looking forward to - expense reports, analytics, site maintenance, payroll… But there's much to be excited about, too. It's been a tumultuous spell filled with uncertainty, lawsuits, highs, lows, lockdowns, and politics - none of which could ever have been predicted (by me, anyway). And now, it seems, I'll be able to do what I've always wanted to, which is have a large platform to write and direct a wrestling voice in a way in which I believe is best to represent the sport I love and to, in some manner, elevate it. Years ago - in what seems like a previous life - as a college sophomore or junior - I wrote to Bob Preusse of Amateur Wrestling News. I knew nothing of wrestling media or journalism and though I was going to school for a Fine Arts degree in writing, I wasn't a journalist. All I knew was that I loved wrestling and loved writing. Bob was the only person I knew in wrestling media on a national level. He put together the first Ironman and the first Reno TOC, both of which I'd wrestled in. When I asked Bob, 'Hey, I was thinking about getting into writing about wrestling. You know of any opportunities,' he replied, "You don't want to do that. There's no money in it." He was wrong about the former; right about the latter. I wouldn't find that out until later, though - after a few years of spending half my time doing school work and the other half reading and posting on wrestling message boards. After getting my degree, I bothered people enough until I got a start at The Open Mat and picked up some freelance assignments for W.I.N Magazine. While the sustainability of any business comes down to dollars and sense, it's the purpose that gives it meaning and fosters passion. So, in addition to producing content that wrestling consumers love and deserve, part of what you can expect at the new Intermat is an objective to both bring the wrestling community together and to offer them opportunities. My expectations are to foster new writers, give a platform to existing talents to broaden their reach, build message boards to create interaction, and run contests where all can take part. As much as anything, I want it to be a hangout; I want people to feel included and to have their voices heard. I was once in your shoes. At heart, I'm a wrestling message board poster just like you. I'm just really, really smart. Oh. And yes. I will be writing the Mailbag from now on. It's one of the things I'm looking forward to the most, and actually quite a surprise even to me. I hadn't expected TR Foley to move on. When the release was put out that I was acquiring Intermat, many people assumed that TR and I would have a conflict. Sure we've had spats on Twitter. But hell, name a person in wrestling I haven't had it out with. It's part of my charm. Many thought I might not like the politics that his columns are often steeped in. And while it's true that I don't always have the same perspective as him, and often thought he peppered a tad too much of it in, I also don't believe in censorship. The solution to having different opinions should not be a muzzle. No. It was none of that. TR is a friend. And I consider him to be among the finest wrestling writers to put pen to paper. He's a much better writer than I am. Maybe than I'll ever be. I would have been happy for him to stay on, and I will be happy if he ever rings me up and has an idea for another column. TR wrote his column for nine years for Intermat, and for that, I will always be grateful. Like me, you never knew quite what he was gonna say next. That's a good thing; it kept us all coming back. The opportunity to fill Foley's shoes in the Mailbag is not only one (like the reputation and legacy of Intermat itself) that I feel responsible for, but also one I relish. It will allow me the opportunity to exercise my writing ability. I've been in wrestling media for over a decade, but previews, and recaps, and ranking notes aren't exactly the genre in which you hone a craft in prose. Anyway, enough of the mushy stuff. Thanks to those of you who are reading - to those that have been following my work or to those that have just discovered it because you're a loyal follower of Intermat and/or TR. I hope it's the start of an enduring chapter at Intermat, and I hope you like what you see from us in the near future. (And by 'us' I mean myself and Earl Smith, who will be captaining this ship. I'm honored and excited to have him as the Site Editor for the new Intermat. We're gonna make sweet, sweet musical content). Now to your questions... You tweeted that you didn't have a problem with Spencer and Gable sharing the Hodge. Why? - Mike C. I understand that it wasn't a 'true tie.' W.I.N. Magazine themselves said 'virtual tie.' So apparently, the masses are upset that Spencer or Gable led the vote by a margin that W.I.N. deemed insignificant or unconvincing and made the decision to split the honors between the two. SO WHAT!? What's the harm in splitting it? Yes, yes...wrestling is the ultimate egalitarian milieu. We all expect a 'winner' and a 'loser.' But what's the harm? What's the harm? Spencer and Gable had phenomenal seasons. By the math, Spencer (who I voted for) held the edge. But is it so outlandish to think Gable was equally deserving? He faced better competition and wrestled a whopping 30% more bouts. Both are significant and, I believe, served as the impetus for such a close race. There was, too, an omen of sorts that foretold this. Gable won Intermat's Wrestler of the Year. Spencer won MatScouts' Wrestler of the Year, but Gable took the honors in the Big Ten Conference. The most knowledgeable and discerning eyes in the sport were split and I'm glad both of them were recognized. I'm not sure why I'm in the minority on this; you'd rather see just one guy win it when 1) they both had excellent seasons 2) the vote was THAT close. (They tied in 1st place votes). You'd rather haggle about decimals? One of them had 49.8%; the other had 49.7% and the staff at W.I.N. said, 'let's give it to both.' And y'all went bonkers. I don't get it. You know who isn't crying about it? Gable and Spencer. When would be the best time for holding our Olympic Trials if college weren't a factor? What can be done to make the NCAA and USAW calendars line up better? - @oldestgreatest USAWrestling walks a tightrope. They want to have the qualification process start after NCAA's so that college wrestlers can attend. But they do it so dang soon after. And I don't know if the juice is worth the squeeze. By that, I mean the percentage of college wrestlers making senior teams is very low. Heck, a great deal of them are still UWW Juniors. That being said, the timeline and order could accommodate the college guys (and every age level) in a more sensible manner. The US Open is in April nearly every year. Move it back to May or June. Move Final X to July (making adjustments in OLY years which always make a mess). It's a really simple solution. USAW makes its money on events. And they have to squeeze them in a rather tight (March-July) window. But the juxtaposition of them has always confused me - including, but not limited to, having rapidly growing 15-year-olds (Cadets) make World Teams several months before they have to make weight for the World Championships. Yes, the order and cadence of USAW events have always puzzled me and that problem will only get exacerbated should NCAA wrestling go to a 1-semester sport (which likely leads to a later end date). What I don't understand (and never have), is why USAW feels the need to start their qualifying process so soon after NCAA's. There's really not a rush, which would further benefit the college guys, and the college coaches hate it. Iowa will have a much lower impact at the trials than I can ever remember. What's the situation? - Message Boards Everywhere I don't think they are 'out' on freestyle; I think it's a confluence of circumstances. Spencer Lee would certainly be there without the recent injury. The only one that has me scratching my head is Eierman, who I feel like is both a real threat to make the team and also a guy I've generally thought would prefer free to folk. But it was a long two years - one filled with Covid and injuries and pressure to get the team title back to Iowa City. As stated above, the turnaround was crazy. Eierman would have had to wrestle NCAA's-Last Chance-Trials in consecutive weeks. I monitor wrestling message boards all day long and the fact that Iowa has just one or two athletes at the trials this year has been much discussed. However, there are two things the message boards didn't bring up: 1. The Hawkeye Wrestling Club underwent an overhaul last summer. I think it was part of a long-term plan. A "Trust-The-Process" type plan in which the stable won't be quite as full for a year or two, but then they reload. Essentially, their graduates will have to go from scholarship athlete to funded pros - that's Spencer Lee, The Bull, Eierman, perhaps Kemerer and DeSanto. That's a great deal of top-flight World Team threats. It's also a lot of dough. 2. The New Room. I don't know if the reduction in HWC members had a ton to do with the new facility, but I do know it's taking a lot of bandwidth and attention. In conjunction with item. I would imagine it played a factor. Spend less on athletes for a year and use that money to put in the facility fund. Then fundraise for the new era of HWC athletes. That's my theory, anyway. I believe it makes sense, and I also believe that - should that be the case - it was probably a very heady move by TNT. Your 2021 Olympians! (or who I think wins this weekend) I have to admit, the cancellations over the past year have made me very International-styles-rusty. I think, if you're honest with yourself, it's made us (fans) all rusty. We simply haven't seen these guys and gals compete as much as we normally do. So my picks will be rather boring, but you can bet your butts there's gonna be some major curveballs. WFS 50kg - Sarah Hildebrandt over Whitney Conder 53kg - Jacarra Winchester over Katherine Shai 57kg - Helen Maroulis over Jenna Burkert 62kg - Kayla Miracle over Maya Nelson 68kg - Tamyra Stock-Mensah over Kennedy Blades 76kg - Adeline Gray over Victoria Francis MFS 57kg - Daton Fix over Thomas Gilman 65kg - Yianni over Zain Retherford 74kg - Jordan Burroughs over Kyle Dake 86kg - David Taylor over Zahid Valencia 97kg - Kyle Snyder over J'den Cox 125kg - Gable Steveson over Nick Gwiazdowski GR 60kg - Ildar Hafizov over Max Nowry 67kg - Jamel Johnson over Alejandro Sancho 77kg - Ben Provisor over Pat Smith 87kg - Joe Rau over Alan Vera 97kg - G'Angelo Hancock over Luke Sheridan 130kg - Adam Coon over Cohlton Schultz Who's going to Fort Worth!? Say hi. Let's have a beer.

Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake at the 2017 World Team Trials (Photo/Tony Rotundo, WrestlersAreWarriors.com) Earlier this week, news broke that Isaiah Martinez had been forced out of the 2021 Olympic Team Trials. This makes yet another encounter between Jordan Burroughs and Kyle Dake the likely final at 74 kg. Since 2011, Burroughs has been dominant at the weight both domestically and on the international level with five World/Olympic gold medals and eight overall medals. Dake has been Burroughs' most formidable challenge domestically, but he has never been able to oust Burroughs from his spot at 74 kg. When the weights expanded following the 2016 Olympics, he moved up to 79 kilograms and captured his first two World golds. With the weight classes contracting for the Olympics, Burroughs and Dake have been on a collision course. The following takes a look back at their eight-match history and attempts to identify any statistical trends or elements that could make the difference this weekend at the Trials. Takedowns As you might expect, Burroughs has had the takedown advantage during his series with Dake. He has scored 12 takedowns, while the former Cornell wrestler has only notched six. Three of those 12 takedowns were feet-to-back maneuvers that netted Burroughs extra points. Their first pair of matches took place back in 2013, where a feet-to-back takedown only scored three points instead of the customary four points awarded today. Dake has managed to go feet to back on Burroughs once. It came in their second match at the 2013 Trials. Burroughs pushed hard along the edge for a stepout, but Dake was able to achieve rear standing and launch him out of bounds. Even though they have 18 takedowns scored across their eight matches, only four have come in the second period. Once again, Burroughs has the advantage. He has scored three second-period takedowns, while Dake only scored one in their second match at the 2013 Trials. Burroughs also scored takedowns in seven of their eight matches. Interestingly enough, he managed to win the match where he did not record a takedown. In the finals of the 2017 U.S. Open, he scored via a step out as well as a shot-clock point and took a 2-2 victory on criteria. In addition to that match, Dake also failed to score a takedown in their first meeting back in 2013 and their most recent contest in the deciding bout of the 2017 World Team Trials. While Burroughs has diversified his leg attacks over the course of his career, he is still at his best when he is getting to legs and finishing. Dake has always been a noted defensive wrestler, but Burroughs has still been able to stack up the takedowns. Exposures from Neutral Positions Neither wrestler has scored many exposure points from neutral positions in the series, but some of the exchanges were decisive events. Their second match at the 2013 Trials went to overtime (It was actually a thing back then). Dake tried to scramble behind for the match-ending takedown. However, Burroughs caught and elevated an ankle for the exposure and the victory. After winning the first match at the 2017 World Team Trials, Dake appeared to be in the driver's seat on the path to unseating Burroughs. Late in the second match, he elevated the Olympian in a crotch lift position and appeared to be on the way to scoring an exposure. However, Burroughs somehow turned the maneuver into his own score and took an 8-4 victory. Dake's only neutral exposure actually came in his only win in the series. In the first match at the 2017 Trials, he caught Burroughs in a chest wrap and finished it for four. He held on for the 6-6 victory thanks to the value of the four-point score. Burroughs has been able to be aggressive with his takedowns without giving Dake opportunities to score. That will be essential this weekend if he wants to continue his dominance in the rivalry. Dake usually scores in scrambles and when given counter opportunities. If he is able to explode for a four, his chance of victory increases dramatically. Exposures from the Top Burroughs has managed to score six exposures from the top position, which are defined as exposures following a takedown. He has also prevented Dake from scoring any points in this category. The former Nebraska wrestler made his most significant impact from the top position in the first match of their series at the 2015 World Team Trials. Following a takedown, Burroughs immediately transitioned to a leg lace and added six quick points. In the deciding match at the 2017 World Team Trials, Burroughs was able to get on the board with a trap-arm gut wrench following a takedown in the first period. Step Outs, Cautions and Shot-Clock Points Burroughs and Dake have each notched eight step outs in the series. However, Dake may have a slight advantage since he also put points on the board when Burroughs was hit with a caution for backing out at the 2015 World Team Trials. In their eight-match series, there have been only two shot-clock points awarded, and they both went to Burroughs. He scored via the clock at the 2017 Open after Dake was put on the clock for the second time in the second period. He also scored upon the expiration of the shot clock in the second match of the 2017 World Team Trials. Even though it has not often been the case in this series, both wrestlers have shown the ability to slow matches down and keep it close. Many of Burroughs' matches these days have been exceptionally close. If that turns out to be the case this week, these types of points could make the difference. Points Per Match Excluding their two-match series from the 2013 World Team Trials, which took place under the old ruleset, the average match score in the rivalry has been 7 to 3.5 in favor of Burroughs. Interesting enough, this is not that far off from Burrough's overall points per match averages. In matches against all other wrestlers since 2015, excluding falls, Burroughs has averaged 8.02 points per match and allowed 1.97 points per match on average. On the other hand, Dake normally averages far more than 3.5 points per match. During the same stretch, and once again, excluding falls and matches against Burroughs, he has averaged 7.89 points per match and allowed an average of 1.59 points per bout. These numbers seem to favor Burroughs. He scores more points per match compared to Dake, and he has certainly had the edge in their head-to-head matches. However, recent match results illustrate a much different picture. In matches from only 2020 and 2021, Burroughs is averaging only 5.5 points per match and allowing an average of 1.75 points per match. On the other hand, During the same timeframe, Dake has averaged 7.6 points per match, and he has allowed only six points in his last 10 bouts (excluding falls). Obviously, there are a lot of factors that could be contributing to the recent stats. However, Dake has been consistently putting up a higher points-per-match average in his recent bouts. While he has struggled to keep pace with Burroughs historically in the series, he may have turned the corner with his offense. If Burroughs has declined in terms of scoring, fans may be looking at a different result at this year's edition of the trials.

Wyatt Henson (Photo/Sam Janicki, SJanickiPhoto.com) While the eyes of the wrestling world will be focused on the Olympic Trials on Friday and Saturday, it isn't the only prominent event going down this weekend. One of the longest-running events on the high school calendar, the Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic, will go down Friday evening. For the 47th time, a team of national all-stars will descend upon Pittsburgh to take on a group of elite seniors from Pennsylvania. Only Pennsylvania is capable of forming a squad that could compete with such highly-touted opponents every year. Team Pennsylvania will be looking to break an eight-match losing streak to Team USA on Saturday. That dual meet from 2011, contained three-time NCAA champion and Hodge Trophy winner Alex Dieringer (WI), along with 2016 Olympian Jesse Thielke (WI), and 2016 national champion Nico Megaludis (PA). The Pittsburgh Wrestling Classic archives read like a "Who's Who" of elite wrestlers. Exactly half of the 2021 NCAA finalists competed in the PWC, including four champions (David Carr, Shane Griffith, Carter Starocci, and Gable Steveson). Here are the twelve matches taking place in the main event and predictions for each bout. Additionally, there is an undercard that pits an all-star team from Maryland against a team full of WPIAL wrestlers. There is also one bout between the number one and number two girls in the nation at 127 lbs when top-ranked Adrienna Turner (Davis, CA) meets Montana Delawder (Gettysburg, PA). 120 - Brett Ungar (Notre Dame-Green Pond) vs. Richie Figueroa (Selma, CA) The 120 lb match is one of the most intriguing of the entire event as Brett Ungar comes into Pittsburgh with a ton of momentum after unseating two-time AA champion Gary Steen (Reynolds) in the state semifinals and pinning super-freshman Mason Gibson (Bishop McCort) to claim his title. For his efforts, Ungar was named the Outstanding Wrestler of the AA tournament, as he handed Gibson the first loss of his high school career. The Cornell recruit, Ungar, is a four-time state medalist and a two-time champion. His first title came in 2018-19 while competing for Hunterdon Central in New Jersey. Ungar's opponent is three-time California state champion, Richie Figueroa. While Figueroa is one of the top seniors in the nation (#5 in the most recent recruiting rankings), he and his fellow California natives have not been able to compete with the frequency of the rest of the nation. If the 2018 Cadet World silver medalist is anything but 100%, Ungar will present a tough matchup and is capable of pulling the upset. Pick: Ungar 126 - Joey Fischer (South Park) vs. Drake Ayala (Fort Dodge, IA) Long regarded as one of the top lightweights in the state, Joey Fischer finally broken through and won his first Pennsylvania state title this season. Fischer was previously a runner-up in 2020 and a fourth-place finisher in 2019. The state crown wasn't the only "first" accomplished by Fischer this season; he also was victorious at the Powerade by downing Ohio state champion Dustin Norris (LaSalle, OH) and 2020 PA AAA champion Ethan Berginc (Hempfield Area). Fischer was also a Junior national freestyle champion in Fargo back in 2018. A year later, his opponent, Drake Ayala, brought home a stop sign from Junior freestyle, as well. Ayala also has one from his Cadet days, too. This season, Ayala pulled a real-life "Visionquest" and moved up to 132 lbs to chase down a previous loss to Ryder Block (Waverly-Shell Rock, IA). That, combined with a total of three state titles and four finals appearances, has secured his spot in Iowa high school lore. Ayala, ranked fourth in the Class of 2021, is the highest-rated high schoolers to come out of Iowa since 2012 (John Meeks) and has chosen to stay in-state to wrestle for the Hawkeyes. Also staying close to home is Fischer, who will represent Clarion. Pick: Ayala 132 - Dylan Chappell (Seneca Valley) vs. Chance Lamer (Crescent Valley, OR) For the third consecutive year, Dylan Chappell's season ended as a runner-up in the AAA state finals. Still, Chappell has proven to be one of the elite wrestlers in the nation with three top-three finishes at the Powerade. He was a finalist at the event as a sophomore and a senior. Outside of Pennsylvania, Chappell's best credential is a seventh-place finish at the 2018 Super 32. Three-time Oregon state champion Chance Lamer also has placed at the Super 32, as he made the finals at 132 lbs in October. Lamer's list of national and international achievements is quite impressive. He wrestled for a bronze medal at the 2018 Cadet World Championships, which was a year after he made the Fargo Cadet finals in both styles. Lamer came away with the Greco title and was a runner-up in freestyle. Chance is Big Ten-bound as he signed with the University of Michigan in the fall, while Chappell will stay in PA and wrestle for Bucknell. Pick: Lamer 138 - Brock McMillen (Glendale) vs. Carter Young (Stillwater, OK) A pair of three-time state champions and four-time finalists will clash at 138 lbs as Brock McMillen meets Carter Young. McMillen was a state runner-up as a freshman before reeling off three straight AA titles. Over the past two seasons, McMillen had to contend with a familiar face in the state finals, Ian Oswalt (Burrell). The Pitt recruit, McMillen, not only defeated Oswalt in the championship bout, he went 5-0 against him during that span. All three of Oswalt's 2021 losses came to McMillen. Like his counterpart, Young was a state runner-up as a freshman, then three-peated. Young was a double Cadet finalist in Fargo in 2017 (winning Greco) and got onto the Junior podium in freestyle during his most recent appearance. Carter will leave Oklahoma for Northwestern in the fall. Pick: Young 145 - Wyatt Henson (Waynesburg) vs. Caleb Rathjen (Ankeny, IA) The eyes of the Iowa Hawkeye fanbase will be trained squarely on this tilt at 145 lbs, as both competitors are head to Iowa City. Wyatt Henson has developed into one of the top seniors in the nation and is the son of world champion and Olympic silver medalist Sammie Henson. Sammie also appeared in this event in 1989. The younger Henson has won three state championships, one in Missouri and two in Pennsylvania. Henson has placed third in Fargo at both the Cadet and Junior freestyle tournaments. Before claiming his second Pennsylvania title in 2021, Wyatt won his first Powerade championship. In his previous trips to the tournament, he was third and eighth. Caleb Rathjen is a four-time Iowa state finalist, with wins coming in his sophomore and junior seasons. Like Henson, Rathjen had gotten onto the podium twice in Fargo, both as a Cadet. He was a runner-up in 2018 and a seventh-place finisher in 2017. Caleb wrestled in the high school postseason at 152 lbs this season, but will be at 145 for this showdown. Pick: Henson 152 - Alejandro Herrera-Rondon (Seneca Valley) vs. Victor Voinovich (Brecksville, OH) One of the most anticipated bouts of the day will occur at 152 lbs when top-ranked Victor Voinovich makes the trip to neighboring Pennsylvania to tangle with Alejandro Herrera-Rondon. Matscouts has Voinovich ranked number one in the nation and Herrera-Rondon number three. Voinovich seized control of that top-billing at Who's #1 with a 4-3 win over Jagger Condomitti (Northampton, PA). He also grabbed his second Ohio state crown in three tries. After his sophomore year of high school, Voinovich made the Junior freestyle finals in Fargo, then proceeded to do the same at the Walsh Ironman. Herrera-Rondon captured his third PA AAA title in 2021 after jumping three weights following a fourth-place finish as a junior. It was the second year in which Herrera-Rondon had such a weight jump. During the regular season, Alejandro made his third Powerade final and won his second title in an extremely deep field. This could be a preview of the next couple of years as both wrestlers will be on opposite sides of the Bedlam rivalry. Herrera-Rondon has signed with Oklahoma, while Voinovich inked with rival Oklahoma State. Pick: Voinovich 160 - AJ Corrado (Burrell) vs. Enrique Munguia (Elyria, OH) The second of three local members of the Pennsylvania All-Star team with opponents from Ohio is AJ Corrado. AJ is another wrestler that got onto the state podium in his first three years, but had to wait till his senior season to get to the top step. Corrado was a runner-up as a junior and took fifth and seventh as a sophomore and freshman, respectively. While Corrado is active outside of Pennsylvania, his best national-level finish was when he was seventh at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals in 2019. Enrique Munguia is probably one of the least talked about top-five wrestlers in the nation. He checks in at number four in MatScout's latest offering. Munguia picked up a slew of impressive wins on his way to a third-place finish at the 2020 Super 32. As a junior, Munguia finished fifth in both the Ironman and the Beast of the East. The coaching staff at Kent State wisely picked up Munguia before he could leave the state. Corrado is Ivy League-bound, as he'll head to Brown. Pick: Munguia 170 - Luca Augustine (Waynesburg) vs. Dillon Walker (LaSalle, OH) Our final bout in the run of Western PA versus Ohio stars sees Luca Augustine takes on Dillon Walker. The resurgence of the Pitt wrestling program has seen head coach Keith Gavin and staff retain more local talent than in previous years and Augustine is the second PA All-Star who is a future Panther. Augustine emerged victorious in an absolutely brutal 172 lb AAA weight class that included former state champ Trey Kibe (Mifflin County) and Super 32 placer Sammy Starr (Kiski Area). The two-time state placewinner, Augustine, was third at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals before placing top-five at the Ironman, Beast, and Powerade as a junior. We mentioned Starr as a Super 32 placewinner; Walker finished three slots ahead of Starr at the 2020 tournament when he was fifth. That's the same placement for Dillon at the 2021 Ohio DI State Championships. Walker suffered a pair of losses to his first-round opponent on his way to taking fifth in a loaded weight. He finished as a two-time state qualifier for Legacy Christian Academy and LaSalle. Walker will be PA-bound for college as he has verballed to DII Mercyhurst. Pick: Augustine 182 - Cael Crebs (Montoursville) vs. Peyton Craft (Blair Academy, NJ) 182 lbs also has the chance to be a match that we see down the road in college as both competitors are slated to enroll at EIWA schools. Cael Crebs is headed to the Naval Academy and Peyton Craft has chosen Cornell. Crebs capped his high school career off with a AA state championship at 189 lbs. He finished as a two-time state medalist (3rd in 2020) and a three-time qualifier. During his senior season, Crebs was third at the Powerade despite suffering a loss in the Round of 16. Crebs also has a third-place finish on his resume at NHSCA Freshman Nationals in 2018, way down at 132 lbs. Craft was a three-time National Prep placewinner for Blair Academy. He made the finals in each of his last two appearances. Wrestling a schedule like Blair faces, Craft has had plenty of experience at the national level. He won NHSCA's as a freshman and sophomore, and was top-three at the Ironman and Beast during his junior campaign. Pick: Craft 195 - Drew Clearie (Nazareth) vs. Jaxon Smith (Woodland Cartersville, GA) Longtime power Nazareth is represented at 195 lbs by three-time state medalist Drew Clearie. Drew was third at the AAA state tournament in each of the last two seasons after placing sixth as a sophomore. Clearie was also fourth at the 2019 Beast of the East. He will join PWC teammate AJ Corrado as future Brown Bears and wrestle for head coach Todd Beckerman. His opponent is Jaxon Smith, one of the faces of the movement of Georgia from being an also-ran to a national power. Smith is a three-time Georgia state champion who could not compete as a freshman due to injuries. He has been extremely active in national competitions. In 2018, Smith was a Cadet freestyle All-American in Fargo. The following year he was third at NHSCA Sophomore Nationals and took fourth at the Super 32. Smith is part of a large, talented contingent that signed with the University of Maryland in the falls. Pick: Smith 220 - Jacob Lucas (Cumberland Valley) vs. Emmanuel Skillings (Broken Arrow, OK) More Pennsylvania talent headed to the Naval Academy, this time, it's two-time state medalist Jacob Lucas. Jacob closed his high school career out atop the AAA state podium with his first state title. His win in Hershey helped Lucas to a #19 national ranking by MatScouts. To get the championship, Lucas had to go through Josh Harkless (Wilson), an opponent who defeated him the previous week at the West Sub Regional. Two-time Oklahoma champion Emmanuel Skillings will be Lucas' opponent. Skillings was fourth at the 2019 Ironman and went undefeated over the summer at the Grand River Rumble. He is currently one of the top unsigned seniors in the nation, so there should be plenty of collegiate coaches looking for a talented big man tuned in for this bout. Pick: Lucas 285 - Nate Schon (Selinsgrove) vs. Kyonte Hamilton (Georgetown Prep, MD) We'll close out with a battle between two of the top-six big men in all of the land. Top-ranked Kyonte Hamilton has yet to compete officially in 2020-21, but he has been quite active outside of scholastic competition. The two-sport (football) Rutgers recruit was a National Prep champion in 2020 after he was third at the Ironman and the victor at the Beast. This fall, Hamilton was third in a Super 32 weight class that contained the top-three heavyweights in the nation (at the time). Schon finished as a two-time state champion and three-time finalist in the AAA division. This year Schon rebounded from a runner-up finish at the West Sub Regional tournament a week before the state tournament. Schon will leave the state for college as he has signed with Kevin Dresser's Iowa State Cyclones. Pick: Hamilton

Zach Hartman BETHLEHEM, Pa. -- Bucknell's Zach Hartman was named the EIWA Wrestler of the Year, the conference office announced Wednesday afternoon. Hartman became the first Bison to earn this prestigious award after winning an EIWA title and earning All-America laurels during the 2020-21 campaign. At the EIWA Championships, Hartman went 3-0 en route to winning the 165-pound championship. Already a two-time EIWA runner-up, he joined Andy Rendos (165, 2010), current assistant coach Kevin LeValley (149, 2011) and Joe Stolfi (285, 2014) as Bucknell's EIWA champions. He also became the second Bison to earn the EIWA Coaches' Trophy as the EIWA Championships' Outstanding Wrestler, joining LeValley. He also qualified for his third NCAA Championships. Hartman's sixth-place performance at the NCAA's premier event was the third highest by a Bison. Previously, Tom Marchetti (167) finished fourth in 1989 and Rendos (165) went fifth in 2009; Rendos also took sixth in 2010. Hartman was the sixth Bison wrestler to earn All-America laurels, joining Marchetti , Bryan Burns (190, 1991), Bobby Ferraro (177, 1994 & 1995), Rendos and LeValley (149, 2010 & 2011). In addition, he joined Marchetti as Bucknell's second NCAA semifinalist. Overall, Hartman went 12-3 with two pins, one technical fall and one major decision. He won his first 12 bouts in a row, representing a new career-long winning streak. He appeared in all three NCAA Coaches' Panel Rankings, checking in as high as seventh, and was ranked as high as sixth nationally by both Intermat and The Open Mat.